Here's to You!
by Ayah Papaya
Summary: AH, AU, mild angst, occasional language College setting, sports playing, partying. Edward meets Bella in a parking lot, and they become fast friends. Can this wealthy soldier claim her heart as his own? Will life allow such luxuries? Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my second story, and will be much more lighthearted than my first. Shall I continue? Hit or miss; you tell me? Next chapter completed; awaiting your approval. I did not go to medical school, but I am a Katrina survivor. I own nothing unless I say I do. PLEASE read and REVIEW! **

_Much love pplz!_

_********  
_

I was the new guy in town; the latest addition to Louisiana State University's baseball team. I'd transferred, from Harvard, much to my father's chagrin, after falling in love with the people we rescued during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My father was a high society Sports Medicine physician in New York; he'd envisioned me completing my higher education in Harvard, or perhaps Yale—even Dartmouth would have been acceptable. LSU? Yeah, not so much. It was just an ordinary afternoon practice, and my teammates were scattered on the field. Some stretching, some playing long toss; some hitting on balls, and others on women.

There was no shortage of good looking women in this place.

Briefly, I caught myself thinking of Tanya. Ahh, Tanya, last year had been my summer of love. She'd left me after I had confessed my feelings, saying she wasn't ready for a commitment yet. We had been together since high school; I was devastated. I'd been something of a mess after she dumped me; dating girl after girl—with little to no space in between. I'd developed quite the "love 'em and leave 'em" reputation, but that was exactly what I was trying to erase from my record. I was at the peak of my displeasure when my father suggested that we offer aid to a state that had been ravaged by natural disaster.

I stood by the dugout, on the practice field, scanning the scene in front of me. Pulling my new cap over my forehead, I delved into a deep daydream.

_We'd entered the city by boat, searching buildings for survivors. Tirelessly working twelve hour shifts, we broke into houses, searched, called out, and marked our findings on the roof in fluorescent orange paint. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and in my two months there, I knew I'd fallen in love. I could see myself building a home, rebuilding a life, here in the "Big Easy". Nothing seemed easy for these people now; people that I rescued out of water eleven feet high. People whose homes I helped rebuild from pure rubble, with my bare hands. The most striking memory I had, was pulling a school teacher off of the roof of her two story home. She'd been standing on a three foot square of roof, dehydrated and delirious, for more than four days before we found her. Her aged father had drowned inside; she wasn't fast enough to get him outside when the 17th street canal burst. _

After arriving home, I applied to the University, and went through the necessary hoops to get myself onto the team. Transferring had been easier than I anticipated. I met no resistance, academically, as I was coming from Harvard, and was a staple on the Dean's list. It was really late for me to sign up for the team, but a few _very_ large donations opened a cushy pitching spot for me. I knew my father didn't support my decision, but I had to go, to heal, to grow up, to be myself. The first step had been finding, and purchasing a house. With the help of my mother, Esme, that turned out to be easy and rewarding. She even came with me to pick out furnishings, after she finished redesigning the interior, of course. All the money I was saving in tuition could easily cover the expense of starting out—real estate was an excellent investment.

"Cullen!" a gruff voice called to me, snapping me out of my memories. "Let's go boys!; time for drills!" A shrill whistle sounded, and all of my new team mates drew into a tight circle.

"Gather round, ladies!" Everyone, myself included, snickered. "We've only got a few weeks to turn this rag tag group of guys into a team. We're gonna stretch till you can tie your girlfriend's legs behind your head. We're gonna run till you collapse. You're gonna catch every ball you toss. Knock every ball you hit out of the park. Am I clear?"

About twenty-five "Yeah!"s floated down the field. I pulled my hat lower over my brow as coach Minieri blew his whistle again.

"Then get the fuck out of here and run till I tell you to stop!" And that's exactly what we did.

"Jesus Christ!" One of my teammates exclaimed, as I wiped oceans of sweat out of my hair. Louisiana heat and humidity was legendary! "He was a real sadist today." This guy had a good six inches on me, and I was over six feet tall myself; it was an accomplishment. He was HUGE, almost as if he were blown up on steroids, with curly black hair and truly kind blue eyes.

I shook my head to clear it, not realizing he was talking to me. "What's your name, soldier?" He asked me, extending his colossal hand to shake my own.

"Edward. Edward Cullen, it's good to know you...Mr..."

"What's with this mister shit, pal. Name's Emmett, Emmett Swan." Wiggling his eyebrows like a vaudeville villain, he gave me a good pat on the back, and let out a booming laugh. "I won't let these guys give you too much trouble. Hey, some of us are going out tonight. Let me show you around! I got a designated driver and EVERYTHING."

Something in my expression made his laughter ring out louder. I wasn't really the bar type, but the idea of hanging out with someone other than myself was fantastic. "Write your address down; I'll pick you up at nine." He stripped off the last of his uniform, and headed to the showers. My eyes bugged out as I realized just how muscular that guy was. He must body build in his spare time. I sure as hell wouldn't want to meet_ him_ in a dark alley...

After practice, I made my way over to my Mercedes, and was putting my duffel into the trunk when I heard several noises in quick succession. First it was the sound of wheels rolling, a crash, the sound of a woman's scream, and books smashing to the ground. I turned to see someone rollerblading away at top speed. It was the whimper that turned my attention back to the ground, where a young brunette was haphazardly strewn, holding her ankle.

"Are you hurt?" I asked her, her small heart-shaped face snapping up. Startling her was not my intention; she had not realized that I was there to witness her downfall. I recognized her as a girl from my advanced physiology class. In my weeks here, I saw nothing but her in that classroom.

Her eyes were the most beautiful chocolate orbs that I'd ever seen; her upturned nose the pinnacle of cuteness. She was built on a slight frame, delicate, breakable. She had a freckle over her left eyebrow. Her watch of choice was a blue Swiss Army; she always wore a turquoise bracelet, and a ring with a white stone. Other than the fact that I was absolutely obsessed with her, there was nothing remarkable about her. The odd twist of her Converse laden ankle worried me. I reached down to help her, my open trunk quickly forgotten. "Can you move at all?" Crouching low, I reached my hand out to feel her ankle. It was just beginning to swell, but it was not broken.

Her first words were in supreme irritation, and shocked me. "Well I'll be... Ugh! Some people have _no_ home training!" (**A/N: Manners)** She huffed loudly, and her drawl reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara. I could almost picture her saying 'Fiddle dee dee.' as she smoothed her hoop skirt. The thought of that alone, set my emotions on fire. This girl was, most certainly, a native. "I'll be happier than a pig in shit, if I could just get my hands on him..." She winced as she moved her ankle in circles. I began to gather her books, grinning at her overly candid nature. This one was feisty; she had spunk. The suspicions I'd developed these past weeks were correct--she was perfect.

"May I walk you to your car? You shouldn't carry the extra weight with your ankle. Be sure to put ice on it when you get home." She gave me a '_you're talking to me?!_' kind of look. I'd give anything to hear what was going on in that mind of hers.

"It's not necessary, really." She turned her face away from me, staring at the ground, and shrinking away from me. "It's just over there; I think I can make it." She began to flush, violently, as I started heading in the direction she had pointed, but not before I grabbed an ACE bandage from the trunk of my car; I'd wrap her ankle before I let her go.

Reluctantly, she followed me. "You're awfully polite, for a Yankee." I roared with laughter; I couldn't help it. Perhaps I should've worn my Yankees baseball cap—I have a feeling that would've made a lasting impression.

"And you're most definitely a true C_harmer._" I'd been reading a book on the local vernacular, and I was proud that I could use my first word. She rolled her eyes at me, and continued to limp towards her vehicle. A white 2003 Toyota Camry; a nice dependable car. She was feisty, had spunk, was dependable. Still perfect.

"Thank ya' for bringin' my stuff to the car." She was fumbling with her keys when they fell out of her purse. I bent down to pick them up, and unlocked the door for her.

"You're very welcome. Please, sit down; I'd like to wrap your ankle, so it won't hurt as much when you walk on it." She smiled a smile that touched her sad brown eyes.

"A'ight, Yank." My first nickname; I could have leaped into the air with joy! Somehow, my heart skipped a beat. She called me _Yank!_ Laughing, I asked her where she was from. "I was born and raised here." She extended her arm to demonstrate that she considered this place her home.

"How 'bout you, Yank? Where ya' from?" I had finished untying her shoe, and was gingerly slipping it off her foot, so that I could wrap it.

Glancing up at her, I noticed how lovely she was; even close up. Even her nose hairs were perfect. "I was born in Chicago, but my father relocated us to New York, when I was young; it's the only home I really remember."

"Ooh boy." She exclaimed, with a wink. There must be some inside joke that I'm not a part of—probably because of my birthplace and parentage.

"What?" I laughed again; she conjured images of puppies and rainbows in my head. Her speech was just so _colorful;_ so delightful! And yet, her eyes didn't match the rest of her; I could feel the intense distress radiating from within their deep brown depths.

"You're a _real_ Yankee. We Southernista's have _names_ for people like you!" She sounded like we were a different species; she was hysterical. I skipped another heartbeat when she winked again. She'd changed my black and white world to absolute color with the simple flick of a switch, and it was the first time we'd spoken. I hadn't been this tongue tied around a woman since high school. Total de-evolution.

I grinned at her, and winked back. "That's it, my friend." I found myself sighing, as I finished wrapping her left ankle. She would leave now, and I found myself cringing at the thought. I patted her leg as I stood from my crouch. Too personal of a move? Ah well, too late now!

She shuffled her leg carefully into the car, and closed the door. I still had her sneaker, so I knocked on the glass, and she grinned. She manually rolled her window down, and I mustered all the courage that I had; it was now or never. "Hey, Charmer? What's your name? Can I look you up in the directory?" I didn't want to let her slip through my fingers, if I could help it.

Her big brown eyes popped a little wider, and she said, "Maybe next time. Thanks for the help, Yank!" She winked at me as she drove away, taking a little piece of my heart with her.

**Special thanks to Den20, without her these first few chapters would be pitiful**.


	2. Chapter 2

Emmett picked me up at nine, as promised. All day I'd been thinking of her, and the idea of a distraction was a welcome one. He took me to a bar called, "The Library", and I laughed as I picked up the meaning. _'Are you going out tonight, honey?' 'No, mom. I'll be at the library all night...'_

"You're gonna love it." He promised, as he walked backwards explaining things to me, "Most of the team will be there; it'll be a great way to get to know the guys before the season starts." We headed inside, and I checked over my appearance, just to make sure I looked acceptable. In homage to my distressed damsel; I'd decided that my Chuck Taylors would be the shoes of choice. My favorite emerald green button down was haphazardly layered over a white undershirt. I had picked dark, artfully faded blue jeans; it was quite literally, my favorite outfit. The color of my button down matched my eyes perfectly, and I always got compliments, no matter how many times people saw me in it.

He dragged me through, and introduced me to the guys, I kicked back a few beers. We were having a good time; it seemed that I'd fit right in. I had actually been a little worried about that, but my school mates were accepting and wonderful. I spent most of the evening following Emmett around, and playing pool. He was a pretty interesting guy.

"I was born here, but my parents divorced when I was young." He explained, as he ordered another round. "My mother and sister stayed here, and I went back to Washington state with my dad."

"What brought you back here, Emmett?" I hoped I wasn't asking too many personal questions; I really liked this guy.

"My mother passed, and I didn't want to leave my sister by myself. She was only a senior in high school, so I came down to take care of her. She took to the news real bad." I gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and apologized. "I wonder where she is..." He pondered to himself, glancing at his watch.

"Who?" I stared at him blankly, trying to decipher who he was referring to.

"My sister." He stated, as if it were obvious. "The designated driver, of course--most important person of the party!" I found myself chuckling, and then all out guffawing at his boisterous behavior. The topics flowed to majors and careers, the state of the current American economy. I'd just mentioned that I was in the Army Reserves when his phone vibrated. "Izzy? Hey, girl. Where are you? We're all waiting for you!" He was listening to whatever his sister was telling him, and judging by his expression, it wasn't good. "Well, you tell Newton that I'll mail his balls to him in a box if he doesn't leave you alone. You're too good for him, anyway." A bar fight broke out, but it wasn't anyone we knew, so we just sat back and enjoyed the show. There's something inherently caveman-like about male bonding.

I was acutely aware of a sweet scent breeze past me--perfume. Emmett howled, "There she is!" A couple of my team mates hooted as well. "Baby B!" He cried, and wrapped his arm around a slender pair of shoulders.

She ordered herself a Cosmo, and sat down at the bar, next to Emmett. They exchanged pleasantries, and she greeted the guys. This lady seemed very comfortable around our team; as if they were her family. She finally turned to look at me, and I was able to study her face again, as if for the first time.

"Yank?" Her sweet brown eyes widened as she took my appearance in. Charmer's tiny pink lips parted, and I found myself wishing that I could be attached to them—permanently.

"Yes ma'am. Nice to see you on your feet again, _ma che_r." She'd been running through my thoughts all day; she must be exhausted! My memories did no justice to her beauty.

The color drained from Emmett's face, "You two know each other?"

"We met today." I replied. She'd just placed her drink down on the counter, and was coming to stand between Emmett and myself. Suddenly a pool stick fell from its holster, skittered to the floor rolling under her feet, and she tripped. Abandoning my own beer, I caught her in my arms, and was delighted that she responded to my touch. Her eyes shut tight, and her breathing hitched—could just be from the embarrassment of falling on your ass in a bar, _sober!_. "In a situation not so different from this, believe it or not. How's your ankle?" I asked her, watching the slow blush creep across her cheeks.

"Better, thank you. The bandage helped." She was trying unsuccessfully to make the connection between Emmett and myself, but he beat her to it.

"Bella, This is Edward; the newest pitcher on the team." So, Charmer's name was actually Bella. Bella Swan, Emmett Swan's little sister... There went my hopes of asking her to dinner. 'Man Code of Honor', and all that.

"Geaux (**A/N "Go")** Tigers!" She winked and smiled, sitting on the stool directly between us. She was dressed much differently from before, in the parking lot. She was wearing scrubs; was she a doctor too? "Sorry I'm late, Em. I couldn't get out. Apparently, cadavers can't wait... Doctor Marshall wanted me to be absolutely finished with my mock autopsy before he let me out of the lab."

Cadavers? _Autopsy?_ She looked too young to be a medical student, she couldn't be a day over 20! "What's your major, Bella?"

"When I grow up, I'd like to be a forensic pathologist." She gave me a sweet smile when she saw me shudder. Tough as nails, this one; digging through dead people all day...

"You look far too young to be in medical school, Bella. If I may be so bold, how old are you?"

Emmett snorted into his beer, sending a shower across the bar, onto the bartender. "I'm twenty-two." She responded, slightly terse. I wondered if I offended her. "I graduated high school at sixteen, and then double majored my way through two bachelor's degrees in two and a half years. Would've been two, if my mother hadn't passed..." Her eyes shifted downward, and I found myself raising my hand to touch her cheek. Thankfully, I caught myself before I did. I didn't want to jeopardize my new friendship with Emmett by charming his younger sister. I gazed at her, with sad eyes as she walked to the other side of the bar to talk to some of her friends.

"Forensics, huh?" I asked, gazing at Emmett.

His eyes did this rolling thing—he'd had way to much to drink. "Yeah, it's really gross. Some days she comes home smelling so bad that she has to bathe in lemons to get it out. She lies, and tells me it's the formaldehyde, but I dunno about that." He shuddered just thinking about it, and continued, "Some of her textbooks are terrifying, and it makes me feel so helpless because she's just so YOUNG." His voice trailed off, as he finished his drink. "I'm twenty-six, and I haven't even finished my bachelor's degree, and here she is, getting ready to apply for an internship in something so god-damned MORBID." The bartender handed him another drink. "Thanks Scott; sorry I spit on you before."

My curiosity was getting the better of me, but I couldn't satiate it properly without her near me. "She started out as a music major, Edward." He'd grown so quiet, that I'd nearly forgotten he was there.

"What does she play?" I turned to face him again, my new-found quest to discover everything about her was all consuming.

"A better question would be, 'What _doesn't_ she play?'. She's amazing, Edward. At least, she was. My mother took so much out of her. She became so dark, so angry, so fast. I nearly fainted when she told me about her change in major; it's not like the two are similar, or anything..." The idea of Bella being described as 'dark' was antithetical to the smiling angel that I'd rescued in the parking lot today.

Emmett and I continued the night drinking and talking; I'd gotten to know most of the team much better than I had at any practice so far.. Soon enough, it was time to pack up and head home. Emmett found me standing in a corner, watching Bella talk to another dark haired woman in jeans and a flannel shirt. She gestures a lot, how endearing. "Baby B!" He called, and she turned towards us. "Let's go!"

"Jesus, Emmett, you don't have to scream!" She flashed an irritated expression his way, and then asked who she'd be driving.

Much to my surprise, he said he was going to another party with someone named Colin. It would be me and two other guys who would load up in her car. I wondered why she accepted this role as chauffeur—when Emmett had spoken of it before, he made it sound like she did this all the time. Inwardly, I thought about what kind of drunk she might be; she was impossibly lovely.

The three of us followed her to a car I recognized from our encounter earlier. She pushed a button on the remote, and all of the doors clicked unlocked. Carefully, I opened the driver's side door for her, and watched her flush. I longed to ride in the seat beside her, but someone else had piled into that place of honor. I remembered to hold my arm out, so that she wouldn't have to place weight on her hurt ankle. Truly, I was sober enough to drive, but I'd left my car at home.

First stop was to drop off Tyler Crowley, and the second was to drop off a guy named Mike Newton. So _this_ was the guy that Emmett had threatened. He didn't look very manly at all as he leaned over the passenger's seat to whisper into Bella's ear, and kiss her on her mouth.

I was overtaken by fury as the jealousy raged within me, rendering me helpless. When she reached out her hand to slap him, I felt only smugness and pride. Not only was she feisty, and had a lot of spunk, but she was a fighter too. Perfection at its peak, as far as I'm concerned.

"Get OFF of me, Mike! Why can't you take 'no' for an answer?!" I had my handle on the door, ready to come to her aid, at the first sign that she needed it, but I shouldn't have worried. Of course, this surprisingly sweet lady could hit like a professional boxer. She pushed his scrawny ass out of the door, and then leaned over the seat to pull it closed again.

As she sped away, I climbed into the front seat. "Are you hungry, Bella?" I asked her, as I buckled my seat belt. She glanced at me in confusion, but acute relief.

"I'm _starving!_ Who's going to be open so early in the morning?"

"My kitchen is open 24/7,_ Charmer._"

She eyed me as if I were making a serious faux pas. "My brother would murder you, if he even caught an inkling that I stepped foot inside your house." She winked, and bit her lip, making my entire being turn to goo.

"At least you'd be able to determine cause of death, Bella." We laughed together, and even if she didn't follow me up, I knew that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. "Turn left up here." I instructed. "It's the third house on the left."

"How many room mates?" She asked. It was a good question; my house was big enough for three or four people to live comfortably.

"None. Just me and my thoughts." Truth is, it'd been a little lonely here, all by myself. I'd officially lived here since January, and tonight was my first social foray.

"You have this big house all to yourself?" I watched as her eyes rove over both stories, as they trailed over the enclosed front porch, and as they settled on the swimming pool in the back. Her stomach growled loudly, interrupting her survey.

"I sure do. If you won't let me fix you something, at least allow me to take you out. I can't send you away hungry! What kind of gentleman would that make me?" A_nything to stall her departure. Anything._

Her laughter pealed through the car, and she clutched her stomach, "Certainly not a Southern Gentleman. All right! Fine! I'm coming in; I'm starving!"

"Good. Call your brother so he doesn't worry. I don't need him chasing me with a bat in the morning..."

I crossed the lawn quickly, with her at my side. Though it was after two o'clock in the morning, I saw my crazy neighbors, passed out on the grass, radio still blaring. "Real class, those guys." I pointed my thumb at them and rolled my eyes. Bella grasped her sides with laughter while I unlocked the door.

Switching on the light, I helped her out of her jacket, and hung it on the rack. I tossed my keys and wallet on the table in the foyer, and led her into my living room. The floor plan was very open, so she was able to wander the living room, while still talk to me as I prepared her meal.

Quietly, she dialed a number on her phone. "Hi Emmett, it's me." As I was cracking eggs into a bowl, I watched her move to the sliding glass door, to check out my backyard. "No, I'm not home yet. Yes, I'm fine. I pushed Mike out of the car—he tried to kiss me! It was disgusting." She strolled over to my stereo, and perused my rather impressive, CD collection. "Oh, hold on, Em. I just threw up in my mouth a little..." She snickered and continued, "No, I haven't eaten all day, and I was dropping off Yan, um, Edward, when my stomach growled. I even felt a little weak, so he insisted on feeding me." I had the onions sizzling in the pan, the aroma of fresh food wafted through the house. "Oh man, that smells good. No, Emmett, I don't think that's necessary, but I _will_ pass along the warning. Have fun at Colin's." She clicked her phone closed, and looked up in time to see me grinning like an idiot.

"He told you that I better watch myself, right?" I winked at her, and she nodded. "I'm going to run upstairs and change, while these eggs are frying. Feel free to look around; consider yourself at home, Bella." _What I wouldn't give for her to feel at home here. _

I changed into a pair of _official _LSU pajama pants because there's _nothing_ manlier than purple and gold plaid, with a roaring tiger on the thigh. I hung my green shirt back in the closet, and took off my shoes. I was just starting down the stairs, when I heard it.

One of my compositions was floating through the air, drifting towards me. She was in my studio playing one of my songs. Sneaking into the kitchen, I checked on the eggs, and when I saw that they were shaping up nicely, I stood in the doorjamb listening. Emmett failed to mention her proficiency at piano. I cleared my throat when she had finished, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I didn't mean to startle you. You play well, you know." I suddenly felt my own cheeks grow hot as I realized how messy this room was. I was in the middle of composing another song and I had papers everywhere.

Her eyes were taking in my Baby Grand hungrily, as if this were not a comfort that she had available in her own home. "This song is lovely." _Not as lovely as you, Bella. _"Did you write it?"

"It's a work in progress, yes." I strolled lazily over to her, and sat beside her on the bench. She shifted to make room for me, and I placed my hands over the keys. My back straightened and my eyes closed as my fingers curled over the keys. I'd heard from many that I was a sight to behold when I played. I repeated that composition for her at the intended tempo, with the intended emotions behind it. It felt as if I'd been at the keys for hours, stroking like a well seasoned lover. When I opened my eyes, I saw tears in hers.

"That was lovely, Edward." My heart skipped a beat when she said my name, and another one when she said it with her lilting accent.

"Still hungry? Your omelet awaits, my lady." She giggled as I helped her off of the bench, and settled her on the couch, a plate in hand. I allowed her full possession of the remote; I'd give her anything to keep her here. How could I have developed such a strong obsession with a girl I'd only spoken to 10 hours ago?

"This is really good." She grinned at me, as she flicked to a rerun of a detective series called 'Bones'. "I _love_ this episode! She kisses Booth in this one! A whole floatilla!!" She squealed, and laughed. I made a mental note to find out as much about that show as possible.

I had to cough to hide my giggle; nothing manlier than a giggle, after all. I could see it in the papers tomorrow '_6'2" LSU baseball pitcher, Edward Cullen, caught giggling in living room. Gender preference now under questioning.' _"I'm glad you're comfortable, now what can I offer you to drink?" She'd tucked her feet beneath her, and had settled against the opposite arm; the picture of ease.

"Orange juice?" She gave me this hopeful glare, and I was immediately grateful that I'd picked up a carton yesterday. I rarely kept any in the house, but I'd been in the mood of something different. Bella certainly counted as different.

I hopped up to bring her juice, when my phone rang. We both shot each other a questioning glance—who would call me at three in the morning?

It was my mother. The room began to spin, as she told me that my father had been hit by a taxi, walking home from work. He was in the hospital, in critical condition. I rubbed my eyes, and found that they were wet. Bella had long abandoned her plate, her eyes critically scanning my face, and she rose to stand next to me.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Edward?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, and found myself sobbing; remembering our last spat just before I moved. If he passed away, I would feel terrible, not leaving him on a more positive note.

"My father's been hit by a car; I have to get to the airport tomorrow. Can I have a lift?" I hated asking anything of her, so early on, but it would truly simplify things.

She wrapped her arms around me in comfort, and that was when I lost it. Feeling her tiny hands, arms, body, wrapped around me, trying to comfort me, I began to sob whole-heartedly. "Oh, no no no. Don't cry, Edward!" She crooned, cupping her cheek to my hand. I heard her sniffle. "You'll make _me_ cry!" I glanced up when I heard the mild panic in her voice. She pulled me back into the piano room, and she began to play for me.

I only left that room once that night, and that was to grab my phone and laptop, to arrange the flight out. It was her playing that kept me rooted to the spot. I find music to be a very personal thing, and it was clear that the compositions she was playing for me were her own. She was baring her soul to me, simply to make me feel better. She was sharing her own hurt with me, to console me. These dark notes were her way of telling me that she understood pain, and from the sound of it, it was a hurt that was more encompassing, and much deeper than my own.

I managed to find a flight for 8:00 a.m., and I was going to leave her a set of my keys. I was known to forget things when I was in crisis mode and the last thing I needed was to be locked outside of my house. She hadn't left me all night, and what a comfort it had been to have her near. She'd actually fallen asleep on my couch, and I'd carried her to my room. I'd slept in one of the guest bedrooms, so that she could have the nicer space.

I could only allow her an hour of rest; I hated waking her. I seriously thought of calling a cab, and leaving her a note. "Bella?"

"Come back." She whimpered, and I thought she'd woken. It was clear, however, as she rolled to face me, that she was talking in her sleep. Her arm crossed over her eyes, keeping the darkness where she wanted it.

"Bella?"

"Mom?" She let out a small sigh, and it broke my heart. She was dreaming of her mother. "Mom, I love you."

"Bella. It's time to go." I touched her cheek, and finally, she stirred.

Stretching she sat up slowly in bed. "Good morning, Edward. We have to go so soon?" Her mouth was lovely, even as it yawned.

"I'm sorry about that." _More sorry than you know._ "Do you have a piano at home, Bella?"

"No." I closed my luggage in the car, and opened her door for her. Quietly, I took in the sights. She spoke the entire way, telling me about the swamps we were passing, pointing out houseboats. She was a terrific tour guide, and distraction.

I felt the courage building within me, and I just went for it. We _were_ friends, after all, right? "A fine piano needs to be played to stay in tune. Can I offer you use of my piano, in my absence? I'll give you my keys, to hold till I come home. it's the least I can do to return your kindness."

Her eyes grew wide with disbelief, "We only met yesterday afternoon, and you're handing me your keys? I could rob you_ blind _Edward!" I wasn't about to tell her that I'd spent the last several weeks staring at her in a class she didn't realize we had together..

_I'd give you anything you wanted; there's no reason to steal. _"You wouldn't take from me; you're an honest person." I felt my chest tighten, as she took the exit to get to the airport. We would be separated, and I felt another piece of my heart straining itself to get to her. The pain actually made me gasp as I opened the door to step outside. Pulling my bags out of the trunk, I stepped towards her window, and she rolled it down. "I have your number; I'll call you." She smiled, and was just about to roll up the window when I placed my hand in the way. "Oh, and Bella? I'm really glad that I met you both."

She leaned closer to me, and said, "I'm really glad I met you too." We both blushed, and I wondered if she liked me half as much as I cared for her. We'd only just met, but it seemed as if I'd known her a lifetime.

"I'll bring something back for you." Smiling weakly, I stepped away from the car. I waved as she pulled off, and clutched my chest as another piece of my heart tore away after her.

**I hope you got a little taste of the goodness that's coming. I also hope you like alcohol because chapter three is going to be a real doozy! Will Charmer and Yank meet again? Will he be under her balcony singing her sonnets? Will she be so hung over that she tells him to STFU? You tell me because that's all coming up in chapter three... _Please read and review. _Thanks to Den 20, and to the people who added me to their alert lists after just one chapter. The good stuff is coming. Have patience, and REVIEW!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Ever have one of those hangovers that leaves you inches from death?! Get out your favorite drinks, girls! It's liquor time! Den and I shall have margaritas, and as long as I remember to put the cover on the blender, there should be plenty to share... _**

_**Read and review. This is one of my favorite chapters, and there's plenty more to come!**_

_**~*~*~*~  
**_

**Bella's POV**

Shit shit shit! I had twenty minutes to make a forty five minute drive, or I'd be late for my meeting with my mentor. Traffic had been worse than usual, an overturned trailer on the I-10, so the drive to Kenner to take Edward to the airport had taken longer than anticipated. I dialed Emmett's number to leave him another message; I knew he'd be worried. I told him that I'd see him again after my meeting with Dr. Marshall. I had to get the preliminary findings finished, so that I could continue to do research for my paper. Pulling into a parking space, I all out ran up five flights of stairs, still in the same scrubs that I'd worn yesterday.

"I'm sorry that I'm _late_!" I cried, wheezing noisily, the door to his office not even half way open. My hair was wild, only a few strands still pulled back in a useless ponytail, my face was flushed, and I suddenly felt very thirsty. I leaned heavily against the chair, clutching my chest to keep my heart inside. I swooned; the exhaustion was about to take me. I plopped into a chair before I could make an ass of myself.

There he sat, in his wrinkled, crotchety glory, my ancient mentor. He didn't look upset by my tardiness, but then again, he was rarely angry with me. He didn't even flinch when he noticed that I was wearing _exactly_ the same scrubs that I autopsied in yesterday, and that was obvious because of the stain on my left thigh. I was embarrassed, totally mortified.

"Good to see you, Miss Swan." He smiled at me like I'd entered the room in a clown costume. "Your brother called. He told me there was an emergency, and that you might be a detained.

God bless Emmett.

"I trust you've had time to do more work on that report we've talked about?"

Ummmm... Truth? Lie? CRAP! "No, I didn't have a chance to get to that last night. I had to meet my brother, and then I had that issue yesterday..." Please don't let him ask me what the emergency was. If I have to explain to him that I spent the night comforting a stranger instead of working towards my future career...He'll dump me in a crazy house for SURE!

Perhaps he wouldn't be too far off...

"I need the next section completed by Friday, Isabella" He clicked his pen on the desk in irritation, "You've really fallen behind; I'm so disappointed in you. If you don't catch up, and quickly, you'll be dropped from the program."

"I'll keep that in mind, Dr Marshall. Thank you for your time." Properly chagrined, I exited the office, head down. There _was_ no paper to discuss; I couldn't bring myself to write it. I couldn't bring myself to write much of anything anymore. Couldn't concentrate in my classes. Hell, I passed out in the autopsy room _twice_ last week. I was on serious overload.

I was supposed to be preparing a series of works to provide to the group I wanted to do my residency with. I haven't been doing my job, and my mentor was letting me know that my dream was falling farther from my reach. Slipping between my fingers, as my mother had.

I already had two bachelor's degrees. I was exhausted, and in debt up to my eyeballs. Truly, I needed to get my crap together or I'll be paying off unfinished medical school bills until I donated my body to science. "Alice!" I whined into the phone, as I spoke to her answering machine. "I need some therapy! Please!" My voice rose shrilly on that last note. "Pick me up when you get this message." I drove back to our house; the only thing our mother had been able to leave us. It was tiny, and falling into disrepair. Neither one of us had time to put the work into it that it needed.

I loved my house. I loved my brother; I was so thankful when he came back for me—thankful that he let me stay. This place had always been my home, and I couldn't imagine ever living anywhere else. My father was devastated when I told him that I didn't want to come to Washington to be with them.

Emmett stood by me, and took time off of school to help me. He took a job on the river as a welder, just to support us. I felt my life slowly slipping away to sheer burnout. "I need a vacation, Em."

"But what about school, Bella? You can't just take off in March! What about your residency? Are you going to just let all that go?" He'd never say it, but I could hear it in his voice. He'd given up everything so that I could spend my days in school.

"I can't handle it anymore, Emmett! I bit off more than I can chew!" I fumbled with the stereo; radio was the only thing to cure my anxiety these days. I popped in my _Cake_ CD, and shuffled to "Short Skirt/Long Jacket"

"I think I'm done, Em. I can take the Praxis and teach! I can't do this anymore! I need a break." Digging through the fridge, I could find nothing that appealed to me. I stuck a can of tuna in the can opener, and proceeded to take two bites, then threw it away in disgust. The pizza in the back of the fridge wasn't _too_ moldy... I grimaced as I took the first bite, but when you sliced out the molded parts, it wasn't so bad...

"Sleep on it, hon. Don't give up now; not when you're so close."

"I'm gonna go shower. See you when you get home, ok?"

"Gotta work tonight, Izzy. It'll be late. Wait up for me?"

"Yeah, sure. I love you, Bro." I hung up the phone, and blasted my favorite song, crying into a pillow. I put it on repeat, and took a long shower. I didn't even know _how_ to drop out of medical school. I figured it was a permanent thing, like slavery. A yoke you bore until you either died in the process, or graduated to watch some other poor schmuck suffer.

I stood in the kitchen, cutting celery for my breakfast drink. A couple Bloody Marys couldn't hurt anyone. I glanced up at the _'It's five o'clock somewhere' _sign that I'd made a few years back, and smiled. I'd lost count of how many I'd consumed, and the proportions of the drink became more wild, as I continued to imbibe.

"Dammit Emmett!" I swore as I answered the phone again. _'I want a girl with a short skirt, and a loooooong... looooooong!' _the windows were rattling, and threatening to break, the stereo was on so loud.

"Jacket!" he cried brightly. "I much prefer their track 'Never There'. Cake is good!" Shit shit shit! "Who's this?" His velvet voice was unmistakeable, but I felt the need to ask anyway. I buried my face in the pillow, and was about to fix myself another Bloody Mary. I was nearly out of V8, and I didn't feel like running to Win Dixie to get more. Certainly couldn't drive there--I couldn't even see the button to answer the phone; thank God I had it set to answer when I unflipped it... I would move onto margaritas next, despite the early hour. Or perhaps long island iced teas.. Those'll do me in for sure!

"It's Edward Cullen. How are you?" I lay there on my couch wearing nothing but a short bathrobe, my face buried into a pillow. All I needed were those pink hair curlers, and I'd be an old lady—an old alcoholic shrew, shriveled, crazy, and bitter.

I was so piss-drunk that my words were slurring... "_Yank?_" I'd sat bolt upright, but felt myself falling sideways because I'd moved far too quickly in my alcohol poisoned state. I didn't feel the floor when I hit it, but the corner of the coffee table, before that, was a different story. It knocked me out--cold.

**Edward's POV**

I snorted when she used my nickname, but I noticed that she sounded _off s_omehow. Something didn't feel right. Her speech was rushed, and almost impossible to understand between her gentle accent, and the slurring... "Bella Swan, it's not even noon. Are you _drunk?!_" I felt the stares of everyone in my father's hospital room, and my cheeks burned.

CRASH! SMASH! Thud. I heard the phone go rolling, and I knew she'd fallen. More likely, she'd passed out. I also knew that I was too far away to catch her. "Bella?! Are you all right?" More stares. No answer from the other end of the line, either.

"Edward? Who are you talking to?" My mother whispered, as her church pastor left the room with his eyebrows and hands raised, as if he wanted to exorcise whatever demon was lurking on the other end of the phone. If anyone could smell a scandal, it was him.

"Bella? Are you there? I'm calling Emmett!" Panic was beginning to well up inside me, and now that I'd established that my father was going to make it; I'd made plans to come home tomorrow morning. I was calling her to schedule a ride. Judging by the retching on the other end, I wondered if she'd be capable of driving tomorrow.

"Yank? That you?" She sounded far away, probably stumbling around searching for the phone.

"Yes, honey, it's me." My mother's eyes went wide with shock. Great. She'd think that Bella was an alcoholic, and I hadn't even started dating her yet. 'Yet' might be the wrong word; it gave the implication that I had plans to begin dating her in the first place. What a heavenly thought...

She wasn't an alcoholic--was she?

I heard hysterical laughing and retching, and the sound of a blender whirring in the background. The same song was repeating over and over again. _'...Who is fast, thorough, and sharp as a tack. She's playing with her jewelry. She's putting up her hair...''_ What I wouldn't give to be experiencing the hilarity first hand!

That was when the screaming started. When I figured out what happened, and I ran out of the room to avoid my mother, and I laughed till I pissed my pants. She'd filled the blender with ice, alcohol, and pink margarita mix, and forgot to cover it before she turned it on. Pink alcohol flavored shit was now plastered all over her walls. She just kept mumbling about pink dots, and tequila. Something about the walls. Understanding anything she said was a challenge, when she was inhibited like this.

"Bella! Are you there?!" More retching, laughing, and fumbling. The sound of her side door opening, and closing reverberated in the distance. _Thank God, Emmett came home._

"Who's this?" Another female voice took control of the phone, very high pitched, and obviously sober.

"Who's _this?_" I repeated. Shocked that someone other than Emmett had free roam of the house.

"Alice Boudreaux (**A/N: Boo-dr-Oh**). Bella's best friend. You're not the reason she's plastered in drink mix, right?"

Was I?

"I don't think so.. She sounded fine when I dragged her out of bed this morning."

Oops!

I heard Alice hissing questions at Bella, as she struggled to sit her upright on the sofa. "You slept at a stranger's house last night? Are you kidding me? What? Are you nuts?!" Much lower, but loud enough that I still heard, "Is he good looking? What does he look like? Does he have a brother?!"

"Alice?" I was beginning to struggle with not laughing as I spoke. "Can you ask her to pick me up from the airport tomorrow at noon?" She repeated the question to Bella, who said something unintelligible, as she threw up into some kind of container—metal by the sound of it.

"Alice; get me a cosmo to wash it down?!" Bella's voice sounded so far away, and so drunk.

"She'll see you tomorrow. Call her later." The phone went dead just after I heard another thud, and grimaced.

"Edward? What the hell is going on with you down there?" My mother was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and had obviously heard most of the conversation, as I'd put it on speaker to hear Bella better.

"Oh, I don't know mom." I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and started twirling them with my fingers. "Yesterday I finally spoke to the girl I'm going to marry...That's all." She grinned at me, and I grinned back. I'd never been so honest in my feelings about a girl, but somehow I knew, even this early on, that Bella would be something truly special in my life.. Love at first sight, and all that. We both laughed till we cried; clutching onto each other for dear life.

I did call her later, but there was no background music. Emmett answered the phone, speaking with less volume than a whisper; I had to put it on speaker to hear him too, though at least I understood the reason. "Hey Cullen, what's up?"

"How's Bella?" I heard him chuckle, and I heard her shush him far into the background.

"She's not feelin' too good, bro." I started laughing, and told him about the scene I'd heard this morning. "This is so not like her. I gotta figure out what's up with her, man. How's your dad?"

"He's doing good. I brought him a baseball cap, and we kinda made amends. He's a little more supportive of me being there. That's why I'm calling. Bella said she'd pick me up from the airport tomorrow. If she won't be well; I'll just take a cab." Thank god I had a spare set of keys...

"Bella! Put that down! I've got enough of that shit on the walls to last me a lifetime! You're still puking, and you're trying to chug tequila?!" He'd covered the phone with his hand, but I heard anyway. I bit my tongue so hard that I tasted bood, but I managed not to laugh.

"Jesus, Em. Don't talk so loud... It makes the walls-----spin." Another thud.

"One of us will be there, man. Glad your dad's better. We'll talk to you soon, ok? Have a safe trip."

"Wait!" A strangled half dead hiss came from the other line. "I wanna.. talk.. to Yank.."

Sounds of the handset being passed around, and then the sound of heavy breathing. _My oh my, was it hot in here?_ "Yankward?" I'd bitten my tongue clean off, and had moved on to my cheeks.

"Yes hon, it's me. Feeling better than this morning, Bella?" My mother was shaking in her seat next to me. She'd been quite the drinker in her day, so she appreciated a good bender now and then.

"No. _Worse! _ I wanna.. _die.. _ Please?"

"No ma'am. Not on my watch, you won't."

"Everything's so PINK!" she squeaked.

"I hear strawberry margaritas will do that to a kitchen. I'm coming home tomorrow; maybe we can go to your place, and I can help you clean up?"

"I didn't know you could operate a bulldozer, Edward." Something similar to a death rattle escaped her lovely lips, and I watched my mother fall out of her seat. "I got you something, just like I promised. I can't wait to give it to you." I'd been ignoring my mother, but she poked me from the living room floor.

She whispered to me, "Edward, I peed!! Oh my god! Help me up!" I helped my mother off of the floor, and she went to go change.

"Get some rest. I'll see you at the airport at noon, ok?"

More puking into the unidentified, infamous metal container. "Noon. Got it." the line went dead.

My siren; I missed her already.

_**What'd you think?! **_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: **Not Stephanie Meyer! **Took me a longer time than usual to update. I was a little sad by the lack of reviews on both of my stories, and just couldn't find the heart to write. I spent the last two weeks devouring the fan fictions of others, and discovered the beauty of "Twilighted" Yoy vey! Anywho, if you like it; please review. Den, I miss you; have fun on your trip. _

**Bella's POV**

My heart was pumping pure alcohol through my veins; I had on two pairs of sunglasses, plus a pair of tinted work goggles my brother used when he did soldering. I walked out of the house at 10:30 just to make sure that I had enough time to sit in traffic, and pull to the side every sixty feet or so, to puke. The noise of the car starting scared the shit out of me, but once I disguised it with my beloved Cake CD's, I was feeling a little bit better. I couldn't turn it up as loud as I wanted, but I'd survive the trip.

_If _I survived this trip, Edward was driving us back. I found myself going 30 on a highway with a speed limit of 65, but the trees were moving way too fast as it was; I wasn't pushing my luck. I was pretty sure that I could've crawled there faster, but I couldn't very well carry Edward home on my back. I parked in the short term lot, and stumbled out of the car. Painfully slowly, I made my way over to baggage claim, and asked three people where his luggage would be. Why did it have to be, on the opposite side of the building, from nearest the bathroom? I suppose I could vomit into a plant if I had to...

I felt my insides churning, and I was stumbling towards the nearest foliage when I hit something hard. I hadn't seen a wall anywhere! I'd had a hell of a time seeing _anything_ with all these sunglasses on, but they were necessary for survival. I vomited noisily into the pot, some splashing on the luggage of the person next to me. "Nice to see you too, Bella."

Oh. my. God. _Please!_ Bury me.

I wiped my face with my sleeve, and my eyes rolled a little, as I fought the urge to pass out. I was going down; I guess this hangover shit comes in waves. The fact that I hadn't eaten a real meal in 36 hours didn't help matters. I felt my hair blowing, as I flew backwards, but then I caught whiff of expensive cologne, and felt his strong arms catch me. "I could've used you yesterday." I complained. "I finally stayed on the floor so that I couldn't fall anymore."

Laughing, he slung me over his shoulder, and carried his luggage in the other hand. People stared as we went through the airport; it looked like he was kidnapping me. It was safer this way, though, and if I kept my eyes closed, nose buried in his neck, I could suppress the urge to vomit. I told him where the car was parked, and he placed me in the seat. "Does your brother know you drove like this?"

I held onto my head to stop the car from spinning, "It wasn't so bad this morning. I was pretty good till I got here." I shrugged, and stared at my feet, fixing the floor mat below me. "Want me to drive?" He tried to hide his horrified expression, but I still saw perched upon his god-like face.

"No ma'am." He put the key in the ignition, and started the car. Cake blared through the speakers again, and he flashed me a smile that made my blood—alcohol flavored—run cold in my veins. "I have a better idea." He grinned devilishly as he reached into the back seat. He was digging through his duffel bag, and pulled out a CD case. "'Pepper' by the Butthole surfers is a great icebreaker." Popping it into the player, I grinned at him. They were my second favorite; topped only by Cake. "What brought on the drinking binge in the first place?" His brow furrowed, as if I were a puzzle to put together.

"I'm trying to figure out how to drop out of medical school without dying, being murdered, or being broke for the rest of my life." _All of a sudden, my stomach ROLLED. "Pull over _Edward!!" He checked the mirrors and changed lanes almost immediately. I threw open the door, and vomited a stream of putrescence, even before the car came to a full stop.

Of one thing, I was certain: This was the sexiest moment of my life. I bet he couldn't wait to jump in bed with me now.

His glorious figure waited patiently for me to complete my upheaval. "When was the last time you ate, Bella?"

"How long ago did you make me that egg?"

He seemed pretty upset at that, and insisted, "We're going to the nearest Chinese place, and ordering a ton of greasy food. Best hangover remedy ever. Trust me." He grinned, as if he knew what he were talking about.

He seemed to gloss over the whole 'dropping out of school' thing, and we spent the next 20 minutes in comfortable silence. I was able to shut my eyes, and relax with my head on the headrest. The wind blew through the open windows, Butthole surfers' 'Shame of Life', blasting as we traveled

"What would Emmett prefer, Bella?" He was dialing into his cellphone; Bluetooth already connected to his ear.

"We both usually get General Tso's Chicken. Vegetable Lo Mein, and an order of egg rolls." None of it sounded particularly attractive, but anything that would pull me out of this bleak, death ridden stance was well worth the effort.

He placed the order by phone, and finally he turned to me. "Why are you dropping out, Bella? You're so smart!"

How does he know how smart I am? He's only known me for a few hours! "I'm burnt out. I really need a break, badly. I was thinking about teaching in a school for a while, and going back to school part time."

"Hmm." He drove with his left hand on the wheel, his right resting on the gear shift. Stopping at a red light, he turned to me, "I would hate to see you leave school." He craned his neck to gaze at his feet, and I watched the blush creep up his cheeks.

You could cut the sexual tension with a knife... If I weren't so damn hungover, he'd probably charge me with assault, when I was through with him. Cake's "The Distance" playing softly as we traveled.

"Yeah, but I can't write, I can't think, I'm passing out left and right..." Trying to keep shit from spinning, I clutched my head. "I'm so far behind on my project that Dr. Marshall is ready to drop me! I have no hope of catching up, with my attention span being this way!" The tears threatened to spill; why was I pouring my problems out to this guy? Jesus, he's gonna think I'm such a loser!

"Sounds pretty burnt out to me!" He raised his eyebrows, and shrugged as he gripped both sides of the wheel a little tighter.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious..." I hissed at him, as he pulled into a parking lot housing a particularly shabby restaurant.

"I'll be right back, my lady." He winked as he closed the door behind him; his flip flops flapping as he walked.

"Emmett?" I rasped into the cellphone, hoping he'd answer when he heard my voice. "I made it to the airport. Edward's picking up Chinese, and I ordered General Tso's for you. We'll be home soon." As soon as I saw him leave the restaurant with a bag of food, I closed the phone, and opened the door for him.

"Thanks for getting lunch."

"Hey, no problem. Thanks for being so good to me these last couple of days. You guys are my first two friends!" He beamed at me as we pulled out of the lot. His smile made me weak in the knees. We were only ten minutes from my house, and he found it with minimal instructions from me. It's a good thing too; my vision hadn't solidified yet.

"Well, this is it!" I grinned, as he turned into our driveway. "_Chez_ Swan!" I grabbed the bags, and opened my door, to let myself out. He was quite fast, and took the bags from me before I could even swing my leg out of the door. He most likely didn't want me to drop, or vomit into, thirty dollars of take-out.

"Your home is lovely." He grinned at me as we stepped on the porch. I automatically knew to avoid a certain weak spot on the deck, but didn't think to warn him. When I tell you that his foot went clean through the wood, I mean it. And the vibration from his sturdy body pushing through the deck caused a huge chunk of gutter to break loose from the roof. That fell onto Emmett's jeep with a thud, but thankfully didn't do any damage.

At this point, I was going to drop out of school and go down in history as the woman who died of embarrassment. All of the blood rushed to my face; I was so red, I was purple. Edward bounced a bit, to see how badly he was stuck, put down the bag of food, and pulled himself out.

He had to reach into the hole to fish out his flip flop. I tell you; I died. Upon seeing my blood engorged face he burst into a laugh so violent, and so loud, that it was contagious. Emmett opened the door, and saw what happened. After he checked his Jeep, he laughed too. The three of us sat there, on the porch, laughing and eating Chinese.

Edward got up on a ladder, and rehung our gutter, the right way. He even taught Emmett how to clean the path out, so that they'd work properly. Hell, he'd done more work on the house in one evening, than we had in our entire existence!

I went into the house to get two beers for the guys (I'd had enough alcohol to last me a lifetime—or 24 hours; whichever came first.), and I found that he followed me in. "Emmett and I are playing tomorrow; will you come?" I whirled around, horrified that he'd see my pink splashed kitchen.

"I always go." Shrugging off the wild, scary expression my eyes had formed. A nervous giggle escaped my lips. "Besides, I'm done with this crap anyway. No more papers, no more autopsies, none of it. I'm gonna be a nice normal science teacher." He snorted as he made his way closer to me. I backed towards the fridge, but he kept coming at me. Only inches separated us. Oh my God; he's going to kiss me! There was a big bullseye on my face, and he was headed straight for me.

He continued to lean closer to me, and his warm breath tickled my ear. "Don't be so quick to give up your dreams." His lips skimmed my jaw, and I creamed my panties. He grabbed the beer out of my hand as Emmett filed in behind him.

"Hey Em.," Real smooth, like nothing ever happened. "I got some paint left over at my place." I shot a glance at the floor to make sure there wasn't a puddle beneath me. "How about we paint this kitchen Sunday. The polka dots don't do it justice." They both glared at me, and we started laughing.

"And the cabinetry here is lovely, Bella." He turned the full force of my gaze upon me, making me go weak in the knees. "I could strip the white paint off of these, and refinish them." Frankly, the idea of this Adonis-like creature stripping _anything_, especially in my house, was enough to give me goosebumps. Checking the floor again, I was pleased that I hadn't made a mess of things, yet; the night is still young!

"How do you know so much?" I asked him as he leaned against the counter, directly beside me. My shoulders touched his side, and I felt a sharp _zing_ of electricity. We both stared at each other in awe, probably wondering which one of us had rubbed our feet on the carpet.

**Edward's POV**

"I guess I never mentioned what brought me here in the first place, have I?" Emmett and Bella both shook their heads, and I settled in, closer to Bella, and began my tale.

"We watched Katrina hover closer to the Gulf Coast for days, in the comfort of our New York City penthouse. When it actually hit, and we were beginning to get feedback of the actual damage, my father and I decided to come here to help. I've served a few years in the Army Reserves, so natural disasters weren't strangers to me, and my father wanted to help the sick. We signed up as volunteers, and arrived just days later. The water line was so high; I'd never seen anything like it, Bella."

She was watching me with a fixed expression; this was my first time mentioning "The Storm of the Century" around anyone local, and I was wondering how I'd be received. "We waited in long lines to be processed, and were given masks, and special shots. They handed out uniforms and rations, and then sent us all out on boats. The first few days, I stayed with my father, and we searched the hospitals, evacuating the sick and treating the wounded." My fingers flowed through my hair; just one of my many nervous ticks.

"I decided to go on a different path, after that, and I helped pull people off the roofs of their houses. They stored the dead in sealed ice cream trucks, and coffins of the long deceased would just float past. It was surreal. Chills shoot down my spine just thinking about it; even the dead are not safe." I don't know what my expression told Emmett, but he handed me another beer, and I eagerly cracked it open. "It was almost worse when the water started going down. When the roofs of the single story houses were beginning to peek out of the water. We knew that if anyone were to be found in these, they would not be found alive. We were breaking into people's homes, invading their lives and their privacy, in order to make sure that no one was trapped. Oftentimes, we were too late."

I covered my face with my hands, and tried to resist the tears stinging my eyes. Emmett put his hand on my shoulder, and Bella reached out her arm to wrap it around my waist. "I'd never seen human beings in such condition. All bloated from days, or weeks, of lying in the water. No amount of military training could prepare you for that! There were animals everywhere, just floating. The worst were the ones that had been left cages, on the ground. The ones that never stood a chance; death was everywhere." I had to grip the counter tops to continue to stand; the burden of this story threatened to floor me.

"And later when I spoke to survivors, people who'd spent the last few days stranded in different places, I really got the chance to listen to what happened. I heard the terror in their voices as the relived the water rushing into their homes, having climbed up onto furniture, into attics, and chopping their way out of their roof with an axe. They described the sound of the wind and rushing water with total clarity, as if it had been burned into their brains forever. I listened to them tell me how they felt betrayed by the government. I listened, I learned, and before I knew it, I fell in love." Bella sniffled, and wiped her nose. Emmett just stared, wide eyed.

"You fell in love?" She asked me, her wide eyed innocence making me want to touch her. My hand reached out to touch her cheek, and was rewarded by her silky smooth skin.

"I did." Turning to face her, I brushed away a tear from her eye. The gesture was so sweet, and so innocent, that even Emmett smiled at it's perfect execution. "I was no longer simply volunteering; I was giving my love to a place that I knew would be my home. Against my father's wishes, I stayed behind to help rebuild houses, long after the water subsided, and people began to return. I was here for two more months, and I searched around Baton Rouge for neighborhoods. I selected a house, and went back home to get my finances settled. I bought that house, spent a few months fixing it up, and never looked back."

"So you fell in love with us?" She asked, and I had to think about it for a minute.

"Yes. I fell in love with you." Smiling, I let the pause hang poignantly in the air before I continued, "All of you." Emmett starting breathing again. "The resiliency of the residents, all saying that they would rebuild, and start over. This wasn't just a place to live; this was a place that people set down roots, built foundations, created a _home._"

I tossed my beer bottle in their recycling bin, as I made my way to the kitchen window. Emmett went out the side door, mumbling something about the laundry. We stood together, watching the sun sink itself into the horizon. The sky was colored by blues, oranges, and a dusky rose; it was nearly as lovely as she was. "It was really kind of you to give so much of your time, Edward." I blushed at her compliment. It's such a shame that she's Emmett's little sister. I'm missing out on so much.

"Thank you, Bella. It's getting late. I really should head home. How are you feeling?"

"I'm mostly back, thank you. You were right; the greasy food did work wonders. I'll be right out to take you; let me get my keys."

I laughed lightly as I tossed her keys to her. "I drove you here, remember?" I placed my hand on the small of her back, and guided her to the front exit; her bag already over my shoulder.

I opened the door for her, and helped her in. Her ankle didn't seem so tender today, much to my relief. The trip to my home seemed to take seconds; time flew by when we were together. "Thank you for the ride, Bella. Can I offer you my piano, this evening?" _Won't you stay with me a little while longer? _

"No, I really have to try to hammer out this work, Edward. I don't know if I can do it anymore, but I have to at least try." Her perfect lips pursed, and I wanted to cover them with my own.

"Good girl; I'm so proud of you. I'll see you at the game tomorrow." As I was stepping out of the vehicle, she called to me.

"Edward?" Her voice was so small and weak. My feisty kitten seemed almost helpless, and I wondered what caused the sudden change.

"Yes, _ma cher._" My attempt at French was pitiful, but she seemed to appreciate it. The smile she flashed me was well worth the effort.

"I'm sure the people fell in love with you too." She smiled, and her eyes sank to the floor. "They'd all be fools not to." She put the car into drive, and bid me good night, as she headed back to her own life; her own home. I found myself wishing that I could pry my way into her world; even if just for a moment.

*~*~*

It was just a pre-season game, but that didn't make it less exciting. We'd all spent the last several minutes getting sufficiently prepped, and pepped, and now it was time to take our places. Emmett slapped me a high five, and grabbed his catcher's gear, and I was ready to pitch my heart out—I hoped Bella could catch. I grabbed her gift, having given Emmett his t-shirt in the locker room, and we ran out on to the field.

Home games were always a sea of purple and gold. We were playing the Texas Longhorns today, and the big rival had an impressive turnout. Orange 'Steers and Queers', as Emmett called them, dotted throughout the stands. This would be a great game, with the bright blue sky, and with the mercury topping 80, it wasn't too hot to enjoy it.

I had called in on a favor, and had one of the kids working the ticket booth place her in a certain spot. She was sitting, right in front, where I could reach her. Against protocol, I left the team behind, and jogged up to her with the baby blue bag in my hand. Everyone around her clapped and cheered, her face showing up on the Field Screen; this would be in the paper tomorrow. I grinned my sexiest grin, and she flushed, embarrassed by the extra attention. She covered her face with her hands, but I reached up to pull them away with my own.

"Don't be like that, _Charmer._ This is for you!" I'd had this gift specially made for her. She opened the bag, and pulled out the New York Yankees baseball cap. She grinned, and placed it on her head. She grabbed my hand, and held it for a moment, before I turned to take my place on field.

I was halfway to the mound when I heard her yell, "Thank you!"

Turning, I gave her one of my award winning winks, and a hearty salute. Her lips had dropped apart, when she had first seen me run towards her. Co-eds can't resist a man in uniform, even if it _is _just for a baseball team. I wore my favorite pair of uniform pants; they made my thighs look like tree trunks. Emmett called me 'Studward' this morning, as I tried on pair after white pair.

Briefly, I wondered how she'd react to me in my military digs. My father had been pushing for me to pull out 'the big guns', as he called it. Carlilse had been quite the ladies man in his day, and he said that those brass buttons could pave the way to all _sorts_ of adventures. He'd served for over fifteen years, in over seventy countries, and that equated to a _lot _of women. The thought of my father, and his feminine misadventures frightened me, especially as that was how he met my mother.

In class this morning, I purposely sat right next to the door she always enters from. I dropped a book so that she wouldn't blow right past me. When she saw me there, she dropped her books, and looked as if she were ready to run. Despite all the stares I'd bored into her head, and all the paper balls I'd flicked in her direction (and all the sniggers from my classmates, because of it), today was the first day she realized that I was here. Finally, she sat next to me; I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Things are lookin' up, Eddie ol' boy!

I had discovered that she was fluent in American Sign Language, and I signed '_You're welcome. Always._', from the pitcher's mound. Our entire exchange had been up on the Field Screen. I felt that unsinkable crooked smile appear as I thought about how big this article would be. A surge of women cheered, and I knew the camera was still on me. I pointed to her, and touched my hand to my heart. Oh, what a story this will be...

I hoped I was close enough to hear her scream when she saw the rest of it. It was the periphery of the cap that truly made it _hers._ On the right, there was an LSU logo emblazoned on it. The left had both of our nicknames, and on the back was 'CULLEN' and a 10, in the largest font possible. It was another Neolithic instinct; me trying to subtly mark my territory. The tiny thing she was sitting next to must have been Alice; I would have to wait until the game was finished to find out for sure.

I pulled my purple cap lower over my brow, and looked ahead, waiting for Emmett's sign. He crouched, one finger flashed. Fastball.

Reading the signal, I wound up for one hell of a pitch, one hell of a game, for one hell of a crowd. That ball shot out of my hand, and tore towards the unsuspecting 'Steer'. He swung too late.

"Strike!"

I rubbed my thumb across my cap, and wound, and he responded with two fingers, and tapping his left thigh Curve Ball Away.

"Strike!" The crowd went wild, as I waited for the batter to reposition himself; he flashed me an angry glare. Emmett signaled three fingers, and then covertly shot me the bird; his catching glove higher in the air than before. Change Up High, fucker. I could almost see him grinning beneath his mask. The infielders were chuckling as I released the final ball, and heard the familiar crack as leather made contact with wood.

Our friendly 'Longhorn' made it to second, but with Tyler back there, he'd be stupid if he stole.

I grinned over at Emmett as I adjusted my hat, and scratched my neck. My way of flipping him off was much more covert, but I noticed as he held up one finger, and then wiggle his others; his middle was the most prominent. Fastball Away. Another hit, but Tyler caught it, and got the first guy out as well. They both stalked off the field, and I wound up for yet another round.

As long as my arm would hold; I was like a freight train. My pitches could reach speeds exceeding 98 mph, and I had earned a rather vulgar nickname because of it. I hoped none of them used that around ladies, Bella, especially. No need for her to think I was fast at _anything. '_Fast Eddie', indeed.

I'd read that people in LSU had been particularly invested in their sports teams. LSU was known as a party-college (third in the nation, in fact), and I'd begun to experience that first hand. My neighbors hadn't shut up in nights, and I was pretty sure that I was going to march over there, hose in hand, and spray their big sub-woofers with a garden hose, if they didn't cut the crap. The drug loving female of the house, continually made sexual remarks to me when I did things as mundane as wash my car, cut my grass, or even take out the garbage. I'd never considered myself to be 'high society', or 'highfalutin', as Bella put it, but these people made me reevaluate my stance.

Occasionally, I fought the urge to take the sports section of my paper to their lawn, and crap right in front of their begonias. Childlike, but true.

We were wiping the floor with the opposition when the seventh inning stretch came around. We could let Emmett play the outfield and still win. I got myself a drink, and half listened to whatever instructions the managers were giving. Coach said a few words, and I turned to notice Emmett stiffen. Following his gaze, past the games going on in the background, I saw two guys sitting next to Bella. One, I recognized as Newton, who'll be missing genitalia any day now, and the other was larger than both Emmett and myself—put together.

"Who's the big dark one?" I asked.

"They're on the football team. One's that little shit, Newton. They mostly use him as the ball, but the big one's name is Jacob. Jacob Black. They're both crazy about her, and no matter how hard I try, I can't keep them away from her."

"I wonder if they noticed the hat..." We both cringed, and Emmett had to hold me back, as Mike snatched the cap off of Bella's head. I needn't have worried; she punched him in his face, hard! Once, twice, three times, as his feet flew over his face, and he crashed into the bleachers—six feet from where he originally stood. That last one had been a doozey, and I made a mental note to check her knuckles post game. She knelt down, retrieved her cap, and gazed at the rest of it. Her eyes rested on it for quite some time, until Alice stood to see what the fuss was about. Emmett and I both watched her lovely face turn, ever so slowly, in our direction.

Her eyes met mine, just as I heard Coach yell, "Right, ladies, let's win this!" Whistles blew, music began, and I knew it was time to retake our positions on field. I vowed that every game I won would be in her name. Every breath I took already was. It was only a matter of time till she figured out the same truth for herself.

**_Want a quicker update? Review. Hope you enjoyed._**


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Not a light-hearted chapter here. Hope you got your hankies ready. Did you cry reading it? I sure did when I wrote it! The restaurant, and the places they visit are real. My family's plots are in this particular cemetery, and The places and events mentioned are taken from my own childhood. This chapter is much more "Real Life" than the others, and it's a brief break from the hilarity. Edward learns a lot about who Bella really is, and helps her rediscover her roots._

_I own nothing._

_This chapter is dedicated to my Paw Paw, recently interred four plots from the ground, surrounded by my family, and joined once more with my Maw Maw. I miss you, and I love you. You're with me--always._

**Edward's POV**

She was holed up in her house again, in slippers and a short pink bathrobe, when I found her. She was pale, bone thin, and her cheeks more flushed than I was used to seeing. "Bella? Are you all right?" I touched her forehead, and sure enough, she was burning up. "You have a fever!"

"I know." Her eyes were glazed over as she walked back to the breakfast table, strewn with papers, her aged laptop, and books on frightening topics. She poured herself a cup of coffee, the smell of chicory flooded the house, and tickled my nose. "I haven't really slept in days, Edward. If I don't get this shit done, I won't walk in June. If I don't walk, I don't get my residency. If I don't get my residency, Emmett will lock me away, and throw away the key."

I couldn't very well have _that_ happen. "I worried when I didn't see you in class this morning. I'm making you lunch."

"Don't bother. It's Monday; I have red beans and rice in the fridge. Enjoy yourself." She smiled at me as she buried her face into her books, and typed more on her computer.

"It's still hot!" I stuck my now roasted fingers into my mouth, but truly, the only thing wounded was my pride.

"Wouldn't you be too, if you just come off a hot stove?" I saw her lips turn up in a faint smile as she tried not to laugh. Gently, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, and padded across the kitchen. She fetched a bowl from the cabinet, and spooned rice into it, using the ladle to create a divet into the mound, and poured the beans on top. "Lemonade, Yank?"

"That depends. Is it '_Bella's Homemade Finest_'?" She nodded as she pulled a glass pitcher out of the refrigerator and gently placed a glass in front of me. "Bella, you spoil me. Everything is fantastic!"

She plopped back down at the table, across from me, reorganizing her notes. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence, Mr. Cullen?" I couldn't help but smile, as my eye caught the shadow of the cap I'd given her, just a few weeks ago, and the gossip that had since started.

"Well, _Miss Swan_ I came to find your brother." It was a lie—I knew he wouldn't be home, he always worked on Monday mornings.

"Oh." Was it my imagination, or did she look _disappointed_? "How did your Psych test go?" She barely glanced up from her notes as she asked me, but I knew I had her attention. She'd stared at the same page for ten minutes.

I made a split second decision that could cost me everything. "Get dressed, Bella. We're going out." Her soft doe eyes glanced up at me as confusion set in.

"We're going out?" She questioned, "I can't leave the house! I have all this shit to write."

I turned on the authority double quick, "The fresh air will help, Bella. It won't be long. You're sick, you need to take it _easy. _Besides, it'll help clear your head." She stood up from the table, but I could see she was unconvinced. Hell, I was unconvinced—if Emmett caught wind of this, he could roast my balls on a spit.

In defense of my genitalia, I called him to tell him what was happening. "Hey Em. Look, I came to find you this morning, and I found Bella, sick, instead. She's pretty bad off, and the fresh air will do her some good. You mind if I take her out for a bit?"

I heard the sound of metal clanging against metal, and somebody swearing loudly, "What? She's sick? She looked okay this morning. Shit."

"Just a fever, Emmett. I think I'll take her out to get some fresh air, and get her a light lunch. I'll bring her right back, in better condition than I left her, I promise." I could hear the wheels turning in his head, as he thought out all the ways this could possibly go wrong.

"Don't put the moves on my sister, man. I swear, I _will_ kill you, and bury you in one of these barges. They'll never find you, Edward."

"I'll be good. Nothing to worry about." The water shut off in the bathroom, and I clicked my phone closed. She stepped out of the bathroom wearing simple jeans and a light sweater. She was towel drying her hair, and the scent of strawberries assaulted my senses. She looked lovely. "Oh good. I was going to tell you to wear a sweater. It's cool out for this time of year." She smiled at me, folding her towel, and setting it down on the kitchen counter.

"Well, Yank? I'm all yours."

_If only that were true._

Her pretty pink mouth dropped, as she stared at me. "What?"

_Shit! I must have said that out loud..._ "You ready, Charmer?"

"Yessir." As usual, it took but one word from her to throw my entire black and white existence into rainbows.

I opened the door, and she stepped onto the car port, waiting for me. I unlocked the doors to my Mercedes, and helped her inside. "Top down?" I asked her, and she nodded her ascent.

**

The highway ride to the water had been quiet. Bella had fallen asleep ten minutes in, and I took the time to skim the cream of her cheeks with my fingertips. We reached the Lake by noon, and I was just passing what was left of Joe's Crab Shack when she awoke.

"We're out by the Lake?"

"I like to come out here. I do some of my best thinking here. My parents were married by the lighthouse, you know? My father had been stationed here at the time, and they whipped together a quick ceremony before he went off to Germany." She gazed at me with questioning eyes as I parked the car, and there, across the water, was the lighthouse.

"It's a mess, Edward."

"I know. They've been trying to find the funding, and get the permits, to rebuild it. So much has been misused by politicians, that while true city landmarks have been abandoned, less necessary things have been brought to light."

She looked choked up, like she might cry. "Bella, what's wrong? Have I hurt you?"

She quickly shook her head, "No, you haven't done anything wrong, Edward. My momma took me here all the time, as a child. We used to feed the ducks every Sunday." The floodgates opened, and she started to sob. "I haven't been here since she passed. The lighthouse." She was shaking, leaning against the concrete wall for support. I took her into my arms, and she clung to me, tightly, like a second skin. "My mother loved the lighthouse; we came here sometimes, just to see it. There were so many things about this place that she loved." She sat down on the wall and motioned for me to sit beside her. I held up one finger, and opened my trunk to dig through my grocery bags. I found what I was looking for, and took my place beside her. When I handed her that yellow and blue bag of 'Bunny Bread' (**A/N the most popular brand of bread in Louisiana)** I thought she was going to fall in the water.

She shivered, and I took off my jacket to set over her shoulders. Opening the twist tie, she carefully pulled out a piece of bread, and tossed it into the water. There were only two ducks swimming below us, and I nodded as she commented on how the water used to be _filled_ with them during her childhood. She regaled me with tales of ducks biting her on the back of her diaper, as she tried to run across the rocks to get to her mother. "How did your mother die, Bella?" Her eyes grew impossibly dull and lifeless.

"Pneumonia." Another slice of bread spiraled into the water, barely creating a splash, "This one's for you, momma." A tear slipped from her eye, and dropped into the waters below. I imagine she had cried many tears over her lost mother. "She was my best friend, Edward. She was erratic, careless, harebrained, and terribly immature."

"Sounds like you loved her tremendously." I rubbed soothing circles on her back as she continued.

"She married Phil when I was a sophomore, and she died of lung cancer a little over a year and a half later."

"You say that like you link the two events together. Did Phil smoke?"

"Heavily. He was depressed over the early loss of his baseball career, and he smoked like a chimney. Renée never let him smoke in the house, around me, and that pissed him off. My mother never smoked a day in her life, and she died of lung cancer at 38. Edward, it's _disgusting_!!" She swung her legs unsteadily over the short concrete wall and stepped onto solid ground. I followed suit, but remained seated, waiting for her to continue. I could tell she wasn't finished with me. "My mother was a good woman, but somewhere between the five years they'd been dating, and the year and a half they were married, she had a continuous state altering between bronchitis and pneumonia. I wish I knew then what I know now—I would have known it was the beginning of the end. I would have been prepared!"

"And that's what drove you to switch majors, Bella?"

She stepped down from the road, onto the limestone rocks that led to the water. I followed right on her heels, ready to catch her if she were unsteady. "She passed when I was a senior in High School, but I was in a fog for a while, so my second semester of college, I switched from Music, to Pre-Med. I focused only on my work, and I graduated in half the time, flung myself into more school, and now I'm preparing to start my residency. Maybe I can help someone else avoid all this..." She seemed at a loss for words, and she stumbled on a rock, but I quickly righted her. "All this, _pain_. Absolute _misery_. Emmett's been a damn good brother; I don't deserve him. Anyone else would have made me move, but he knows how much this place means to me. But Emmett let me stay; he let me hang onto her."

"I'd like to meet her, Bella." She looked at me oddly, but nodded.

"I'll take you to see her soon. St. Louis number three isn't a very safe cemetery to go to, so I only get to go there if someone takes me."

"I can take you now, if you'd like to go. We can go together." _It's the only way I want things to be, Bella._

She was about to answer when my phone vibrated wildly in my pocket. "Hello mother." I smiled at Bella, and reassured her that I'd be but a moment. "I'm with Bella, by your lighthouse." She asked me to take a picture, and told me she'd like to book it for a Spring wedding. "Slow down there, Mom. It's not standing, well, not really." My laughter caught Bella by surprise, seeing as she could only hear my half of the conversation. "Okay, mom, I love you too." She wanted me to tell Bella to visit her in New York; she'd heard so much about her. "I'll see what I can do, Mom. You know I'd love to; we'll see. I'll talk to you later...Mom, stop it, you're embarrassing me!" My face had turned purple when she mentioned babies, and I hung up the phone before the damage could get worse.

"Is she the embarrassing type, Yank?" The mirth was back in her eyes, and I was more than happy to see it return. She'd slipped her arms into my jacket, and just seeing her wearing it caused something in my heart to stir.

"Only lately, Bella. She's really loving and easygoing, but I'm her only son. It's hard for her to stay as neutral as she needs to be. She worries a lot, having me so far from her." I placed my hand on her forehead, she still felt warm, but cooler than before. "How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Ready to head out to lunch?" She yawned, and agreed. "Where to, Bella? Anywhere you like."

"Have you been to Camellia Grill?"

"I have not." I opened the car door for her, and helped her get settled

"Nothin' like an omelet buried under chili, a milk shake, and a slice of pecan pie." She beamed at me as I turned the key in the ignition, and pulled back onto the road.

My mother was right. One day, I'd marry that woman in front of that lighthouse, come hell or high water.

**

**(A/N: The section of S. Carollton Ave that we'll be driving to actually flooded something serious, during Katrina/Rita. "The Camellia Grill" did not actually open until April 20, 2007 (a little under a year later than this point in our story). My apologies for stretching the truth, but I'm obsessed with this place, and it furthers my plot. Nyah.)**

She directed me through traffic quickly, and easily. As we turned onto Carollton, it dawned on me that this place may not be open yet. Water lines were clearly visible, high above our heads, and most places were in various states of disrepair. I parked the car, switched on the alarm, and we made our way over to 626 S. Carollton Avenue, more popularly known as "The Camellia Grill".

The way she explained this place to me, I expected a fifties diner kinda place. What I saw was quite different, and gut-wrenching, all at the same time. It was a stark white building with large windows on each side. The white door had long narrow windows on each side. To the right of the door hung a pink sheet of paper--the building permit. It was the only part of the window not covered by boards. The shutters used to be green. I saw the familiar fluorescent paint level with the round wagon-wheel window that peeked out from the attic. It was dark inside, and I stepped to the side to read the plaque. It had been open since 1946, and in less than four weeks, nature put this lovely place asunder.

My Bella sat there on the stairs, and let out a sniffle. "I'm sorry, Bella. It doesn't look like it's open. Maybe we'll try back in a few months. I'll take you the day that they open; I promise." We were getting ready to walk back down the stairs when the door opened, and a dark-skinned man stepped out.

Bella turned around and looked up at him, her swollen eyes pleading, "Harry?"

"Miss Bella? Is that you? Well, I haven't seen you since your momma passed. What's the matter, Child?" He sat down on her other side, taking her hands in his.

"It's just. Every place that we used to go together is destroyed. Harry, it's awful!" His dark brown eyes rested on me for just a moment, before he extended his hand.

"My name is Harry. I work here at the grill."

"I'm Edward. Edward Cullen."

"Doctor Cullen's boy?" His face lit up with recognition.

"You know my father?"

"He treated my father after he had a heart attack. I'm certain that he would've died that day if anyone else had taken care of him. He's gone with God now, but your father gave him three more months; enough time for him to meet his grandchild. Your father was a blessing to this place, in the aftermath."

His gaze went from Bella, to me, "How do you know him, Miss Bella."

"We both go to LSU."

"Your momma sure would be proud of you, young lady."

"How did you guys make out, Harry. Place looks pretty beat up."

"Ooh bite your tongue. You can't kill bad grass, young lady. The water damage was bad, but a lot of our cooking equipment was so old that the water didn't ruin it completely. The worst of the damage was from those damn looters. Whatever we had left was stolen from right under our noses. We had the building so heavily insured though, that we'll have a brand new building, plus enough extra to open up another branch—maybe even in Baton Rouge, just so I can be close to _you_." He tapped her on her nose, and she smiled.

"Your wife had a baby?" She smiled at him as he stood and pulled his wallet out.

"Ain't no baby no more." He proudly pulled out pictures of an infant, and Bella told him how beautiful she was.

"So I guess you guys aren't open yet?" She looked like she might cry.

"Ooh no, it's still a mess in there. We were just pulling out salvageable things before we gut the inside. Would you like to give your Edward a peek inside?"

Harry watched her eyes light up, and instantly caved. "Right this way, folks. Special tour for Miss Bella, and her Edward." Harry winked at me, he was very perceptive, this man. "Here, put these on. The mold is pretty intense." Opening the door for us, he let us enter inside first. "The floor is a little slippery folks, be careful."

I looked down at the antiquated black and white tile floor beneath me; it was the same as every other floor I'd walked on, since my first trip here. Moldy, dirty, muddy, and a testament to the tragedy that blew through this city not long before. Piles and piles of dishes were laid down on a semi swept corner close to the front of the building. A few other men were digging through cabinets, saving what they could, and putting what was beyond repair in a heap in another corner of the place. The stainless steel barstools were rusted, their formerly red cushions now brown with filth. What used to be the grill now held a heap of ruined menus and napkin holders.

Bella fought back a sob when she walked up to a booth with red vinyl cushions near the side windows, closest to the bar. "Miss Bella, don't cry now. Your momma wouldn't want you to cry. She loved this place as much as you did."

"This was our table, Edward." She tentatively reached out, but didn't touch the surface.

"As soon as it reopens, I promise you, we'll eat here. Opening night; this booth. It's a date, Bella. Right?" I touched her mask laden face, hoping for an affirmation. She nodded, and I smiled.

"We'll reopen in April. You write down your address, and I'll send you an invitation, and you'll get to eat here early. Special, just for you, Miss Bella."

She wrote her address down on an industrial paper towel, and Harry tucked it into his pocket "We don't want to keep you too much longer, Harry."

"Now, young lady, you know I can't let you walk out this door hungry. I'll be right back." He reappeared with two sandwiches, neatly wrapped in butcher paper. "Don't be a stranger, Miss Bella. We miss you. See you in April?" She nodded, and he turned to me with his hand extended.

"It was good to meet you, Mr. Edward. Y'all come back now."

"We will. I've rehabbed buildings before, Harry. This place means a lot to her, and therefore, means a lot to me. If you need help, you'll call me?"

He gave me a hug, "Oh, yes, young sir. I sure will. You take good care of my Bella. You hear? She's really something else."

"I will, as long as she'll have me." He softly closed the door behind us, and Bella clutched on to me. I held her; what else could I do? I was hopelessly in love with a girl that I couldn't have.

"Crying is good, honey. You get it all out, okay? You'll feel better after." I slowly led her to the car, searching for the spray paint on each building, trying to get a story from each place. "Where to now?"

She blew her nose on a tissue, "Would you mind if we went to see my mother? I think I need to get this all out in one shot."

"I have nowhere else that I'd rather be, but Bella, do you think it's such a good idea to upset yourself so much, on a day when you're ill to start?" She nodded her head, and wiped her eyes. I pushed the box of kleenex closer to her.

"You're right, but I think I need to see her. I haven't been to her in months. I have nothing to give her; I'm so ashamed." She directed me to where we needed to be. The light was beginning to wane; I knew we couldn't stay long. These places were not safe after nightfall.

There was a heaviness that hung in the air as we pulled into the gates. Some of these tombs dated back to the mid 1800's. She directed me to drive as far back as I could. I pulled the car to the side, pulled a bat out of the trunk, armed the alarm, and followed her at a quick pace, to the inside of a building. Once inside, you could smell the mold, but thankfully, not decay. The waterline was two and a half graves high. Renee Dwyer was interred in a wall mausoleum. She took a left, and a quick right, and walked nearly to the edge of the hall. I looked four rows up, and I saw her. There was her plot. "_Renee Swan-Dwyer: Beloved wife and mother"_

"Hi mom." She reached her hand up, as if to touch the grave that was far too high to reach. "I brought my friend Edward. He said he wanted to meet you, and I know I can't come by myself. I can't stay long." A sob broke through her chest, and my heart broke for her. "But I wanted to see you; I had to see you. Momma, I miss you so much. I wish you knew!" She touched her fingers to her lips, and blew a kiss in her mother's direction. "Harry's wife had a baby. His dad died; I just found out today. Did you two find each other up there? How's Gramma and Grampa Swan? What about Maw Maw and Paw Paw? Tell everybody I said hi?" She leaned against the wall of tombs, and continued, "Emmett is still welding; he'll graduate some time next year, God-willing, with all ten fingers. I'll be a Resident somewhere, too. I don't know where yet, but I guess you'll know before I do." I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, while trying not to intrude on so personal a moment.

"I never got to tell you that I love you mom. I'm sorry we fought; I didn't realize how sick you were. If I had known..." Another sob tore through her, nearly causing her to buckle to the ground, "If I had known that you'd die that day, I never would've fought with you. We all thought the bronchitis was back. We never would have thought—oh why didn't you go to the hospital?" She pounded her fist on her thigh in frustration. "If I had known, I would have done everything differently, mom! I would've called you more. I would've been nicer to Phil. God, Phil. I haven't seen him since the day we buried you." She shuffled her feet, and studied the ground, defeat evident in her expression. "It's getting dark, mom. We need to go."

She reached up to the grave again, and I tell you, it was the strangest thing; as she reached up, a strong draft blew through the building, making a whispering sound. _I love you._ Her mahogany hair shifted in the breeze, a breeze that should not blow in the part of the building that we were in.

Remembering that moment will send chills down my spine until the day that I take my last breath.

"Good-bye, Mom." She said, as we pulled out of the cemetery gates.

"We'll see her soon, Bella. I'll take you back as often as you like. It's my promise to you." I took her hand in mine, and kissed her fingers.

_I love her too, Renee. I love her too. Soften Emmett up for me, will you?_

_**Review if you want Sweetward to sweep Bella off her feet. Review if you want Emmett to stop being an overprotective ass, and let Edward and Bella be together. If you don't, I'll have her run off with Harry and become a voodoo priestess. (LOL)**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: I'm reminding you that I'm a simple liberal arts major, and I know little about the process of becoming a doctor. If I have any doc's reading this, PLEASE, enlighten me so this whole shitfest of a process can make sense. Getting into a little Edward/Bella lovin', here._**

_Major stuff brewing, especially once Bellybean walks across that stage. Woo boy. just you wait... Y'all will all be thrown; nobody'll see that one coming._

_Not mine!_

**Bella's POV**

I was quietly contemplative on the way home. I felt a shift in our friendship occur sometime today. Edward had always been unfailingly polite to me, despite the fact that our social spheres were two entities that rarely overlapped. The only common denomination was my brother.

Sweet Emmett; I didn't spend as much time with him as I'd like. I knew I'd be up all night writing this damned atrocity. I didn't even know what to call it anymore. I'd entitled it "A Nightmare Personified", and it would be sitting patiently in "My Documents" folder, awaiting my arrival. God willing, I would have to have it finished completely, by Friday, in order to submit it to my mentor before I handed it in.

I craned my neck to see Edward calmly shifting gears, his hair blowing in the evening air. I had another half hour to spend with him before it was back to reality, which is a nagging fever, little food, and no sleep. Granted, I was only supposed to be away for lunch, and it had managed to be an all day affair. Time, with Edward, flew by quickly and easily; I never noticed its passing. I began to doubt that he truly intended to spend his day carting me around the city, reliving parts of my life I thought long buried.

To see my memories all destroyed by Hurricane Katrina helped put everything in a little more perspective; those buildings looked how I felt. I felt broken, torn down, skeletal, and abandoned. It's not my mother's fault that she passed, just as it's not Emmett's fault that I'm burnt out with school. It's nobody's fault but my own. I didn't HAVE to double up my course load; every counselor in the school had been against it, but I told them to give me just one shot, and if my grades were less than perfect, I'd drop down to a more sane amount of classes. It was my only way to cope. I felt I had no other options, and now that my residency was hanging in the balance, by the point of a knife, because of it; well I could just kick myself.

I would have given it all up now, if not for Edward. He anticipated my every need; bringing me food when I was pulling a double at the clinic, making sure I shower and change clothes fairly regularly—you know, things like that. He was working on his own graduate degree, in psychology, but he always managed to find time for me. He seemed to be around fairly often, since Emmett started staying at Rosalie's more. He said my work made him nervous.

Pussy. Guess not everybody can see pictures of rotting corpses, blown up, _ad infinitum_, as they eat their Wheaties.

Emmett came to me late one night, after I returned home from the clinic, to discuss my "friendship" with "Fast Eddie".

"I don't like it, Bella." His baby-blue eyes pierced straight through me as he dug through our now beautifully finished cabinets.

"What, Emmett? I made Jumbolaya." I took the pot out of the fridge, and plunked it on the stove, for him to heat.

"I think you should stay away from him. I hear he has a reputation as a heart breaker, Bella." He paused as he cracked open a bottle of Guiness. "I don't want to see you be one of his conquests. I see the way he looks at you—like you're something to eat." He drained half the beer in one swallow, and I felt like this had been bothering him for quite some time.

"It's not like that, really, Emmy." Stirring his dinner, I leaned casually against the counter. "He's never shown any interest in me, other than friendship."

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that, Bella. Really, I am." Emmett plunked himself solidly down on our worn out table, plate in hand, and eyed me seriously. "It's not that he's a bad guy, Bella. He isn't. I don't want you to think that..."

I didn't want to hear it; I could clearly see the passion in my brother's eyes; he meant what he was saying. The idea of being with Edward was nearly too much for my broken spirit to bear. "Emmett, I'm going out." I was the queen of evasion. Not caring that I was wearing pajamas, I grabbed my bag, my laptop, and my keys, and stormed out the door, slamming the door behind me. Jumping into my car, I punched Alice's number into my cell, and she picked up two rings in.

"Bella! I knew you'd call..." She was currently a grad student in Ole Miss; her intellectual weapon of choice, being Fashion Design.

"Did you, now?" I pulled out of the driveway, waving to my brother, staring at me from the doorway.

"I was waiting for you, silly." I heard papers shuffling, and a male voice talking in the background.

"Am I interrupting something, Alice? I can call back later?" I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going; I simply let the road carry me where it would.

"No, silly. I have a show in two weeks, and I'm trying to get my alterations done, but my models aren't being cooperative."

"Alice; do you realize it's nearly midnight where you are?" Her tinkling laugh sounded, and I wondered, once more, what pulled her away from us in the first place. She was born and raised in Biloxi; moving to Baton Rouge for her undergrad years. I missed her; we grew up together.

She was my best friend.

"I guess it's a good thing that we college students never sleep, Bella." Acting on instinct, my foot pressed the brake, and I found myself parked in front of Edward's house.

"Have you ever felt that something is just... right?" I awaited Alice's answer, as there was silence on the end of the line.

"You know the things that I feel, Bella. I operate almost entirely on gut instinct. I'm coming to see you soon, Bellaroo. I miss you." A sniffle sounded on the other end. "How's Charlie?"

"He's good. I've been pushing him away lately—that's bad, I know. I don't know what's with me; it's like I'm all tied up in knots, Alice." I took the key out of the ignition, and made my way, books in hand, to his door. I had a feeling that this was a mistake. I had the feeling that I wasn't meant to be here, this night. "Hey Alice; I gotta go. I'll call you soon. I love you." Not waiting for a reply, I snapped the phone closed, and took two deep cleansing breaths.

The windows of his house were open, and piano music drifted through the air, tantalizing my senses; rendering me stupefied. The sky was perfectly clear; you could see into oblivion, on a night like this. The crisp air swirled past me, cooling my thoughts. I reached for the door; the piano playing continued.

I curled my fingers to knock, and it flew open of its own accord. A leggy blonde stepped onto the porch, slamming into me. "Shit!" she cursed, her face contorting in irritation. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Eddie? You two timing sonofabitch!" She stormed into his house, as I stood dumbstruck. The sound of shattering glass floated through the window. Edward yelped in surprise, or pain. I could not move to check.

"I was never one timing you, Tanya!" There was a near silent 'thump', and then the sound of dead weight falling. She stormed out of the house, not bothering to acknowledge me on her way out.

Finding my feet, I ran inside. The eerie silence was deafening. I called his name repeatedly, but heard nothing. Panic was exploding within me; this was my fault. I knew that I should not be here. I began my search in the kitchen, where he made me breakfast, that first day. My memories flooded my senses, remembering those ridiculous purple pajama pants, and him sitting on the couch bare chested in them.

Next, the living room. The immense crystal vase now lay toppled onto the floor, an arrangement of fresh flowers fanned across the carpet, scattered amongst the shattered glass; resembling millions of tiny diamonds. The couch was empty, the tv was off. No sign of him anywhere; still, not a sound.

"Edward?" I thought the pressure might have me faint, as I passed the double doors leading to his patio, on my way to his music room. The piano was exactly as it should be, but the bench was against the opposite wall; it had rolled away in their encounter.

I saw him. My eyes immediately fell to his form, lying unconscious, on the floor. "Edward!" I cried, as I pulled a penlight out of my bag, and began to check his pupils. His bronze mane was disheveled, and it was nearly a pleasure to brush it from his face. My hands went to check his ribs; nothing seemed broken. "Edward, open your eyes!" I slapped him on his cheeks; no response. I could see him breathing; I knew he was alive.

Running to the kitchen, I pulled a water jug from the refrigerator, and poured it over his face. His eyelids fluttered, then snapped open. He stared at me. I knelt down beside him, and couldn't keep my hands from touching him. They roamed all through his hair, across his cheeks, slid down his neck, and all over his chest. I couldn't stop, until his two strong hands clutched at his aching head, and then grabbed my two hands with his.

Is it wrong that it felt like I was home?

**Edward's POV**

"Ya'alright, Yank?" The room was spinning slightly, but I felt okay.

"I think so. Bella, what are you doing here?" I was not displeased to see her, by any means. Very often, I dream of her presence, even when it's not possible. Occasionally, on nights like tonight, Tanya would worm her way into my home and try to seduce me, but all I saw was Bella. It didn't matter that she was captain of the cheerleading team; I had my mind, body, and heart elsewhere. When I looked at Tanya's long blonde locks, I only saw mahogany. When I looked at Tanya's gigantically fake chest, I only saw the soft roundness of Bella. I saw Bella's heart-shaped face, and deep brown eyes, and Tanya could never hold a candle to her, no matter how hard she tried.

I could never truly have her, my best friend's sister, but I would love her all the same. Even if she never knew how I felt; even if I danced at her wedding. Her hands were all over me; setting my body on fire. I wasn't quite sure what Tanya had hit me with, to knock me out this way, but if this is what it took for Bella to touch me; I'd do it more often.

"Does anything hurt, Edward?" I shook my head no, and attempted to sit up. Thankfully, everything stayed where it was, and she led me to the couch, past my mother's broken vase. "This is all my fault; I should not have come. You should let a doctor look at you, you know."

"None of this is your fault, Bella. You made her disappear, and for that, I'm grateful." I was thanking every god, who could possibly exist, for her presence tonight. Tanya would not back down, and I could only sit at my piano for so many hours. It was the only place she would leave me in peace. She had stood from the bench, to get something from her car, when I heard her swear. It seemed like seconds later, I was waking up to Bella's beautiful face.

"You won't see a Doctor, then?" Her disapproving stare went right through me.

"Aren't you nearly as good as the same thing?" My lips twitched into a momentary crooked smile, as she huffed and pulled out her cell phone.

"I'm going to have to wake you every hour. You could have a concussion."

"You're staying the night then?" I tried to curb my excitement, but happiness burst forth from my heart.

"Someone needs to stay with you. I'll ask Emmett if he'd rather stay, but I'm pretty sure he's with _Rosalie."_ The distaste in her voice made me smile again; of course she disliked Rose. Rose did not have the 'Southern Belle Charm' that Bella had in spades. Rose was very blunt; she only spoke her mind. Bella was a firm believer in the Golden Rules, her favorite being, "If you don't have something nice to say; say nothing at all". Emmett and Rose had been together for months, but Bella had been so deeply entrenched in her work, that she'd only noticed this past week. He didn't pick up his phone, and her face contorted with irritation. Bella hated leaving voicemails.

"Emmett? Tanya socked Edward on the head; I'm worried about a concussion, but he won't see a Doctor. I'mma (I'm gonna) stay with him, and make sure he's okay." Quickly closing her phone, she rose from the couch. "Can I make you something? Are you hungry?"

"Bella, I'm fine; you spoil me."

"A fine man should be." She smiled at me, and made her way to the kitchen. "Oh, Edward?" She glanced up from the stove, and looked over to me, as I acknowledged her. "Kate had a baby."

"What'd she have, Bella?" The domesticity of our positions made me ache for a lifetime of these moments—moments I would never have. I smiled sweetly, thinking about _her_ swollen with _my_ child.

"Kate and Garrett are so proud. You should have seen their faces; a fine baby girl, Edward. Seven pounds, and twenty-one inches long."

"That's a good size. Did they name her yet?" The smell of food floated through the whole house; if I didn't close the windows soon, my degenerate neighbors would be knocking at the door again. They always came over when Bella had the keys to the banquet hall.

"Her name is Irina." She brought a tray laden with stewed tomatoes and a soft drink. Setting it in my lap, she returned to the kitchen, to get one for herself. Plopping down on the couch, next to her bag, she took out her laptop.

"After her sister, then?" Bella looked up from her now whirring computer, as she began to plug it in to the extension cord, under the end table.

"She's been gone nearly a year." I'd never met Kate's sister; she'd passed before I moved here. The victim of a drunk driver. Bella had apparently been close to her cousins, growing up. She saw Kate a lot, and I'd gotten to know both Kate, and her husband Garrett, well in my time here. They were good people, and I could see why Bella loved them.

"I have drills next weekend, Bella." She paused from proofreading her psychology paper; I'd finished mine last week.

"I hate it when you go." She returned her attention back to her computer, and my heart grew once more.

"I hate to leave, Bella, but it's part of being in the Reserves." I placed my tray on the table, next to the couch, and touched her cheek with my fingers. "I'll be back before you walk, Bella; it's just for a weekend." She had two weeks left before she graduated, and was much calmer than I ever anticipated her being in the face of her final finals. She'd applied to hospitals all over the country, and I secretly hoped that she'd be accepted closer to my home in New York. I secretly hoped that Emmett would give me the green light, and I'd never let her go.

"When will you be through with that, Edward."

"Not for a while, friend." Edward 'the soldier' brought Bella nothing but anxiety, even though I never saw any_ real_ action. Only drills. My father didn't understand why I didn't just go past Emmett and start dating her—'pull out the big guns', as he'd say. Wow her in my uniform. 'Woo her stupid', was another favorite phrase of his. The idea of my father's feminine misadventures frightened me; surely he couldn't have done anything underhanded to my mother... I cringed.

"Are you all right, Edward? What hurts?" She flung her laptop on the couch, and leapt towards me, her fingertips flying towards my face. I would have laughed, if she weren't pressing her body against mine. There was nothing, _nothing_, funny about that.

"Nothing hurts, Bella." My fingers found purchase around her waist, as she continued to peruse my skull for signs of a hard knock. Nothing could ever hurt me if she held me this way. I heard a very quiet sigh, and felt as she lowered herself down, to press her lips to my forehead. "Bella."

I released a breath I was unaware that I'd been holding. She began to pepper my face with kisses, and instead of panicking, I welcomed it. I would deal with Emmett later.

"Edward." She sighed, as she began to tug at my shirt.

"Bella, I can't do this. Emmett."

"Shh." I wouldn't let her take off my shirt, so she reached into her bag, pulled out scissors, and cut it off.

"Jesus, Bella. Stop!" Not even dead puppies could curb my erection. If she didn't quit soon, we were both going to end up in my bedroom. At this point, I had no doubt, that we'd both end up very, very, happy. Emmett, however, would mail my balls back to my parents with a note. I had to give Bella babies, and if I didn't wait to touch her, I never would.

She froze as if I'd stabbed her, tears pouring down her face. I gripped both of her hands with my own, and tried to gently stop her from packing and leaving. The phrase '...Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.' came to mind. "Don't leave, Bella." I plead, but she seemed hell bent to go.

"I'll send Emmett, if you're concerned. I can not stay!" She was nearly to the door, when I grabbed her.

"I don't think you understand, Bella." I wanted to tell her that I had loved her from the moment that I saw her, and that I wanted us to have 13 kids, and a great big house. I wanted to tell her that I'd give her everything, for I could deny her nothing. I wanted to tell her that the only thing stopping me was her brother, but I couldn't. I tentatively touched my lips to hers, and she cried out. Fresh tears made their journey down her cheeks, and I was able to brush the first round away with my thumbs. She turned on her heel, and dashed out the door before I could stop her.

**Bella's POV**

I sat at the kitchen table telling Emmett everything. I told him how much I loved him, how he made my whole world spin on it's axis. I told Emmett that he didn't seem to feel the same way, and that's when I fell apart. My beautiful brother listened patiently, nodding his head, and looking ashamed, though for what, I could not fathom. Emmett looked horrified, when I finished. The tears wouldn't stop; I couldn't make them stop flowing for all the world. When I finished, all he did, was hold me close, and said, "I'll fix this, Bella. I'll fix this. This is all my fault, and I'll fix this."

**_E/N: I have a new story brewing. Be on the lookout for "Divine Providence". Hope to hear back from Den20, who's going to give me the green light. Can't put just ANY old crap up on the internet, but if this one goes through, it'll be EPIC._**

**_Reviews inspire faster updates! Much love.._**


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: You asked for it and you got it. More alcohol, only this time, Eddie boy is a little loaded too. Oh me oh my, where could this lead? Tell me, kids, you ever do the 'walk of shame'? Ever have one of those 'Coyote Mornings"? Hmmm... I wonder..._**

**_Not mine!_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

My name is Bella Swan, and it has been two weeks since my last encounter with Edward. I haven't seen him since that awful meeting with Tanya. I'm pretty sure that it's the sheer embarrassment of Edward's rejection that keeps me from answering the door when I see him standing on my porch.

He has begged, he has plead, hell, he even cried on Tuesday—I've never seen Edward cry. I'm pretty sure it was only two tears, but I thought I saw them there, and I certainly heard him pound his fist on the wall in frustration as he howled, "Dammit Bella!" He started stalking me in the hospital as well, but I warned my co-workers that I didn't want to see him. They thought I was just playing 'hard to get', and I felt no need to correct them.

Tonight, Edward will be the last thing on my mind, and Alice was making sure of that. I have one more final, in three days time, and seeing as I've already studied my eyes raw, I think I've earned myself a break. Tonight, Alice and I are going to a party, where over five hundred people will be making an appearance; this will be a shindig of epic proportions.

I pulled on my knee high boots, and swore as the zipper got caught and ran my new stockings. "Honestly, Bella. Who the hell wears pantyhose with boots...to a BAR?!" She yanked my boot off my foot, and pulled the stockings off, handing me lace top high highs, instead. "You will wear these." She tossed me a garter belt.

"Are you kidding me, Alice?!" Truth is; I didn't know how to put the damn thing on.

She turned, and rifled through one of her many shopping bags, "and _these_." She was very matter of fact as she tossed me a pair of obviously _very_ expensive panties.

"Alice, what the hell are these?" I held the offensive items away from me in distaste; they were 'Satan's Panties' if ever I saw a pair. Her wide eyed stare pierced through me as she doubled over with near silent laughter.

"FMP's, Bella. FMP's." She rifled through the bag, and pulled out a mid thigh length black satin skirt, and sequined ruby top. The v-neck was low enough to make me feel uncomfortable, and I had just started to pull the shirt over my shoulders, when she stopped me, tossing me a scandalously matching bra.

"Alice, what the fuck is an FMP?"

She winked at me and smiled, "'Fuck Me Panties."

My eyes widened as I realized what she was preparing me for. "I'm not having sex tonight, Alice."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Miss Swan." She helped me smooth my outfit; the ridiculous push up bra now in place.

"Alice, my _boobs!_", I cried in horror. They looked as if they would burst forth from the lacy black contraption containing them.

"What's the matter, Bella? You forgot you had them? They won't be hiding tonight; you look hot." She grabbed my hand, and pulled me forcefully in front of a mirror. I looked like a hooker. Really! It wouldn't be so bad if you wouldn't be able to tell I was wearing thigh highs and a garter belt.

Maybe if I pulled the skirt down to my pubis, it would cover a more acceptable area..

"Stop talking yourself out of it, Bella." She grabbed my hand and skipped out. I tripped over my own boot-laden feet, and prayed that tonight would be as much fun as I hoped. I needed a distraction from Edward. Badly.

Alice tossed me into the seat of her Volkswagon Cabriole, and we took off for Starz nightclub, which was rented out by students each year. There was a twenty dollar charge to get in the door, but the atmosphere made the party well worth it, or so I've been told. This was my first, and last, year in attendance. The trees whirred by as the ground flew beneath Alice's tiny convertible; we would be there in a matter of minutes, if she continued to drive this way.

My nerves bundled into the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly hoped that I could remain anonymous tonight. Emmett and Edward were supposed to be at some team party, so I knew I didn't have to worry about them, but Tanya—she was another matter entirely.

Alice had dressed me herself; I was clothed to kill. I would not fear the Bitch Princess tonight. In her quest to make me look like a supermodel, she allowed me only two comfort measures. My hair was allowed to hang into a loose ponytail, and she let me wear my boots; they were stylish, without heels. Very sexy, and very functional.

I had picked them up at the mall two years back, and have loved them ever since. Simple Doc Marten's, They laced up in the back, and there were buckles all the way up to the tip of my knee, so I could adjust them for a more personal fit. Thankfully, they had a zipper on the inside to help me get in and out. If they didn't, I'd probably just sleep in them because it would take me an hour to put them on... I only wore them a handful of times, but they still had the ability to make me feel like a million dollars.

The slam of a door made me snap out of my reverie. "Bella? You coming?" I stumbled out after her, and stood in line for my one night of debauchery. People darted into and out of the nightclub in various stages of inebriation. The parking lot reeked of stale beer and piss. Alice's sandaled feet avoided puddles like the plague. I felt bad for her—I _never_ would have worn an open toed shoe here.

"Of course there are two lines." I huffed angrily at Alice, who was primping her spiky jet black hair. She checked her makeup in the mirror, making kissy faces as she continued to ignore my morose behavior.

"Shut it, Bella. You're going to have a great time; I don't want to hear it." Sliding her compact back into her clutch, she winked at me and grabbed my hand, skipping to the front of the line. People groaned the entire time, as we cut in front of them, but she moved nonetheless. We were three people away from entering the biggest bash of the year, and the smoke machines were starting to get to me.

I felt like I was going to start to wheeze, but then Alice shifted slightly, and sent a wave of fresh air in my direction. Alice paid our cover, and after flashing ID, the bouncer deemed us worthy of entering. I thought I saw him gape at my thighs hungrily, but I can't be sure.

If I had been paying attention, as we entered, I would have seen the baseball team jog up to the VIP line.

Immediately, Alice handed me a beer, and I finished it in two swallows. I made my way over to the bar, and ordered a double scotch; neat. He plopped that, and a bowl of peanuts in front of me, and I nursed my drink carefully. Once I got my second tequila in me, I was feeling loose enough to hit the dance floor. Nine Inch Nails 'Closer' blared on the stereo system, and I squeezed my way into the dance floor, grinding myself against the first body that approached me.

My partner was all arms and legs, gyrating wildly to the beat. He backed myself up to him and rested one hand on my shoulder, the other shifting from my hip, to my exposed navel. His warm touch send a signal straight to my core. I haven't had sex in months, maybe years; it'd been far too long.. Christ!

"Can I buy you a drink, Bella?!" He screamed, as I moved as gracefully as one can in leather boots, and a short skirt. I spun around, and realized I was in the arms of one Michael Newton, Troll Extraordinaire. _Shit!_ I'll never live this one down. Not if I live a million years.

"Fine!" I screamed, and was horrified, mildly, as he ordered simple tequila and limes. Four for each of us. The alcohol swirled uneasily in my mind as I tried to connect what he was ordering with what I knew of drinking games. We stood awkwardly at a table on the outskirts of the dance floor, as 8 shots of tequila, 8 wedges of lime, and 8 fancy napkins landed on our table. People jostled past, knocking the bar stools and tables aside as they herded through the overcrowded building.

"Do you want to go first, Bella?" It only faintly registered that he was speaking to me, and I downed my shot unceremoniously. Mike scowled. His baby blue eyes scanned me like a starving man, staring at a steak. "I'll show you, Bella." His vision seemed to cloud and darken as he grabbed a salt shaker in his hand. "Put this wedge between your teeth, Bella." Listening intently, I did as I was told, though every fiber of my being whispered for me to stop. He placed his hands possessively on my thigh, and hitched up my skirt. His eyes widened as he took in Alice's choice of legwear. Licking my thigh, in between the garter belt and the lacey top of the thigh high, he dashed salt in the wetness, and licked me once more; his tongue riding further up than before. Quickly, he downed the shot, and hovered closer to me, placing his lips on mine, pulling the lime from my teeth.

I was suddenly very very horny. _God help me!_ Mike Newton, and me-- horny, in the same room? He handed me another shot, and I panicked. The proper amount of fear was impossible as I was three sheets to the wind, but I realized, somewhere, in the back of my fuzzy brain, that this was less than ideal.

I watched him place the lime wedge between his lips, and I found myself running my tongue along his muscled forearm. Dashing the salt, I let my tongue linger, giving him a light nip before I kicked back another shot. He winked at me as my lips drew closer to his, and plucked the lime from his lips. He dug his fingers into my hair, and after he removed the wedge, he kissed me fiercely; my stomach rolled.

Vomiting into his mouth never sounded so good...

That was when he moved my shirt and licked my breast, nearly exposing the pink of my areola. I gasped involuntarily, and before I knew what he was doing, his tongue was all over me; a button was undone. God Almighty, did I moan? One hand wound it's way up my shirt, his fingers skimming their way to my underwire. Dashing the salt on my nearly exposed breast, he gave me another lengthy lick, and was about to take a shot when the glass fell from his fingers, and he collapsed on the ground in a heap. I placed the palm of my hand over my eyes to try to clear the fog that reigned in my head, but the only thing that helped was another shot.

Someone was scuffling with him, and I faintly recognized Emmett's gigantic form writhing on the floor, pummeling Mike unconscious, but Em was supposed to be. at. a. party.

"Fuck." I picked up another shot and as I raised it to my lips. Someone plucked from my fingers.

"Things were definitely headed in that direction, yes." I had never seen such contempt in his expression; he was furious with me. His coppery hair in full 'fuck me' mode, swinging precariously in his face.

"Swing" by Savage blared on the stereo system. My vision was foggy, but rapidly sobering.

Edward kicked back the shot in his hand, slammed it onto the table so hard I thought it might shatter, and turned and kicked Mike in the side. Another shot went down. "What the hell were you _thinking_, Bella?" My Edward was nearly vibrating with his fury as he stared at me.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have some party to go to?! What's your problem, Edward?" I allowed my anger to match his as he attempted to drag me out of the club. "Get your hands off me!" The haze momentarily lifted from my mind, and I shoved him away from me. I stepped away from the table, only to be grabbed by Tyler Crowley.

I grabbed him by his collar, startling the hell out of him, and jammed my tongue down his throat. The kiss was vulgar, but only lasted a moment. I stormed off to find Alice, calmly sitting at the bar, chatting up one of our classmates, Jessica. "Let's go, Alice."

They both turned around, startled to hear the rage in my voice, and Alice gasped, when Edward grabbed me by my arm. "What the fuck, Bella?!" Edward has _never_ used such a word, in my presence. I was shocked, appalled, and still horny. *lesigh*

He spun me around by my forearm, roughly pressing me against the bar. There was an intense hunger dwelling within his dark green eyes. I longed to run my fingers through his hair.

It was impossible to remain furious at him when he was standing so close. I needed a "no dazzle" zone.

"Edward, calm down." Alice tried to soothe him, but he was too far gone; I'd never seen Edward angry before. Certainly never at me.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That?" He poked my chest with every word; I would have a bruise in the morning. He ordered a glass of Gin.

"How is it any business of _yours_?" I roared, grabbing the mostly empty glass from his hands and draining it. It burned on the way down, and I wondered how he was able to consume it without sputtering. The haze returned, settling on my brain with a vengeance.

"Any business of _mine?_" He roared, grabbing both my upper arms with his hands. I felt as if he were about to give me a good shake, and the thought of it spurred me forward.

"What I do behind closed doors does not concern you, Edward Cullen!" I spat back, beginning to head for the door.

"Closed door my ass, Bella. You're in a club with hundreds of people, clamoring all over Mike Newton, for Christ's sake!" I thought I saw him heave. His green eyes had nearly gone black, with fury. His pupils were dilated to the size of saucers.

"Why do you care so fucking much, asshole?!" I threw a bowl of nuts at him, and huffed in disgust.

"Because the idea of you with anyone else disgusts me, Bella!" Silence reigned amongst our circle of friends. My brother stopped breathing. And with that, he turned on his heel and headed towards the exit.

Alice and Jessica stared at me wide-eyed, not sure whether to celebrate or order another round. I settled for another round, and went with a margarita. Strawberry. One can never have too many of those.

"Jesus Christ, Bella!" I heard his voice, but I refused to look at him. "You and I are gonna talk about this at home."

The anger boiled within, and I knew I had to do something. I was an adult for Christ's sake. "You know, Emmett, I've had sex before!" I howled at the top of my lungs, people near us turning around to stare, and I watched him shrink back in horror. "Many times! You can't baby me forever... And you tell that douchebag best friend of yours the same thing, too. I don't want to see either one of you tonight." I adjusted my thigh high, which had shifted downwards, beneath my boot. It was when I reattached the lacy garter belt on my thigh that I heard someone's breath catch in their throat. Edward.

Glancing up at him, I winked. "You have a thing for thighs, Cullen?" I purred, as I rested my foot on a chair and straightened my stockings slowly, with purpose; there's a reason why it's called 'liquid courage'.

His answer was a squeak, and a twitching of his fingers. I unbuttoned another button on my top, the sequins dancing in the light, as the black lace of a bra peeked out. Oh, Alice, my cleavage was fabulous this evening... I was intentionally goading him, though where I expected this to go; I had no idea.

I brought my hands to his button down, and released the top three buttons, nestling my fingers in his auburn chest hair. My eyes flicked down, and I noticed him trying to hide a major erection. Smiling wickedly, I ordered another two shots of tequila, and handed one to him.

This was my last shot of the night, and I intended to make him think about things, once and for all.

I grabbed that salt shaker, and knelt on the ground; my hands unbuttoned his shirt, and pushed the undershirt out of the way. I unbuckled his belt buckle, and left it swaying with his movement; was he trembling? I left a trail of kisses from his pectorals to below his navel. I was close enough to smell his arousal, and it heightened my own.

Liking the salt from his muscular abdominals, I kicked back the shot, like a pro, and he helped me up from the ground. He removed the wedge from his teeth himself, and threw it down on the bar, placing one hand on either side of me; I had no escape. Grabbing my shoulders roughly, he pressed his lips to mine, forcing me to comply. His kiss was rough, and not at all what I expected one of his kisses to be. He was always so gentle, so sweet, to me. He never showed me this animalistic side. I ripped the remaining buttons off of his shirt, and they tinkled across the bar.

It registered that Alice ordered another drink, and that she gave it to Emmett.

Edward's hands grazed my waist, his lips never leaving mine.

* * *

**_Run on over to my new story "Divine Providence". Check it out, you won't be disappointed. Reviews = Love._**


End file.
